#I think I basically drew her hair how I did all these years with my favorite Final Fantasy blondie lol

[lucreciaart]

I was looking at the evolution of DetCo art styles over the years yesterday and I suddenly felt the urge to draw my interpretation of... THE HORN™

[arimiaromage]

thoughts about dgm chapter 251

gonna throw my thoughts about these new revelations here.

bookman jr or past!allen?

she got us good! I was in shock when I first read it (all my headcanons about pasta, out the window! thrown! chunked!) but now I'm more fine with it.

I believe what happened was that hoshino drew the bookman jr in those flashbacks with nea on purpose - she wanted us to think that was allen and bookman jr. the flashbacks aren't past!allen with longer hair, this is definitely the bookman jr, as we can tell now.

it also makes more sense now why "allen" was talking about high concepts like the spiral being the force for life - it really was a bookman!

I fully think she did this switcharoo on purpose. if we look at her most recent livestream (translated by ponkotsubluuues), someone comments that they were shocked past!allen and bookman jr weren't the same person. her response is basically "yes, I know". she's not surprised people would think that, this was probably deliberately on purpose.

bookman jr & past!allen

okay, now on to some thoughts on who they actually are. I won't stick long here as we'll probably find out in just a few months and we don't have much to go on right now.

personally, I don't really care to ever meet allen's blood relatives. it's never interested me who he's "actually" related to and I always felt it would add even more complicated feelings for him and even more complexity to an already messy as hell family & relationship tree.

that being said, I wouldn't be surprised if bookman jr and allen are some kind of family unit, be it blood related or not. when they begin talking about the two of them as separate people, lucia refers to them as "two young men". so they're probably not father and son, but I could see them as brothers or some sort of brotherhood if they're not blood related.

maybe past!allen is a traveling clown who toured the world with bookman jr LOL.....?

either way, bookman jr was so compelled to protect allen & nea that he gave his life for them. I'm so, so eager to see their bond.

cross marian

who the hell is cross marian in all of this?

we know the cross has been around since almost adam's time, having been with mana and nea since they were children-

so we know that regardless of who is he, he's known about and visited the campbell manor for decades.

in this chapter, they even bring him up by name.

not only does allen ask about him, but lucia talks a bit about him as well.

and note that they're not saying something like "my master left a message for me" and lucia just goes along with it- allen says "my master cross" and lucia continues by saying his full name. she knows exactly who he's talking about.

(allen specifically says "cross shishou" = "master cross" but lucia called him "cross marian")

to me, this is one of the main reasons I don't believe cross is bookman jr. I believe he's somehow tied to the bookman, but I don't think he's the missing jr. if he was, why does lucia refer to him as cross here but not later? she clearly knows who allen is referring to, so wouldn't the bookman have searched for cross and found him with relative ease, given he was at the order for quite a while with bookman & lavi up until apocryphos attacked him?

lucia and the master only refer to bookman jr as "junior", not cross marian. if you're desperately looking for cross marian and are fully aware allen knows who that is, then why not call him that? what do you have to lose at this point?

and furthermore, if cross was this bookman jr, how did he forget who HE made the host? how did he lose allen? redarm!allen looks a lot more like this new past!allen and they both have redish brown hair - if you were traveling with this guy, you should be able to recognize him even if he's de-aged like 8 years, ESPECIALLY once mana takes him in and his hair becomes styled the exact same way.

I know we always have the deus ex machina of apocryphos' memory changing but I really don't want that to be the case for every character, the more you do it the more it becomes a contrivance.

cross definitely has SOME connection to the bookman, I don't feel like his mask and knowledge of bookman things is entirely a red herring. lucia makes it sound like cross reached out to them regarding the campbell manor, but I'll get to that in a bit.

the other leading theory is that cross is cyrus campbell, katerina's brother and head of the family. I feel like this holds a bit more water than him being a bookman, as it'd explain why he was the campbell manor when mana and nea were so young (and presumably before nea became a noah) and why he has worked so tirelessly for both of them.

remember, his innocence maria greatly resembles katerina. it's possible this is katerina's corpse, being infested by innocence. maybe this is from innocence cross was carrying finding its way to her corpse or maybe it was a failed attempt to save her, we don't really know yet.

(I'm not fully convinced about the cyrus theory either though, as why does nea refer to cross as cross instead of cyrus or uncle? how would the order not know about his family and how obviously tied to the noah he is? how could he not recognize allen, his nephew's most trusted friend?)

there have been some theories that maybe the campbells are a bookman family, which may be the case and would help explain why cross has a connection to both, but the way lucia words this part makes me think otherwise.

she makes it sound like the campbell manor wasn't always under their jurisdiction, that it came to be that way but wasn't always. but that might be pulling at straws. I just don't think she'd word it this way if cross = bookman jr.

I'm not fully convinced about either theory about cross as I see holes in both of them. just have to wait and see~

personally I'd still like it if cross was just a childhood friend who got way too attached but we'll see 😂 or maybe he was just pining for katerina from afar....

crown clown

I feel pretty confident now that this is past!allen being hugged by bookman jr, possibly for the last time / as bookman jr's way to protect him.

but I also can't help but feel.... it reminds me of crowned clown, you know? the way it wraps around allen, covering him in an attempt to protect him. even the cut off tips. it really reminds me of that.

the bookman are no stranger to innocence. we also don't know when allen acquired his innocence- did past!allen have it? or...... did bookman jr give it to him as he was dying? did he think it would protect him and nea (and why would he give a noah innocence)?

I would not be surprised if there was some connection between bookman jr and allen's innocence.

allen

I absolutely loved this part.

the pure conviction in his face. no regrets. he finally has a chance to clear up his mind, to cast away the fear he's dealt with for so long about who he actually is. so, so good.

but........ WHO IS ALLEN WALKER????? the burning question. who knows at this point.

I'm very excited to see the next parts, even if it apparently isn't the 35 year flashback (her own words, from the aforementioned livestream) - I assume it'll be a flashback to past!allen meeting nea possibly, or them finding out nea isn't a typical noah, or some major event that happened before shit went down.

yeah that's about it, see yall next time ✌️

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Malleus, Deuce: Like Mother, Like Son

BRO'S STILL MAKING THE "ARE YOU LOST BBY GHORL" FACE … Malleus’s birthday hits different knowing what I know now 💀 ALSO THE FACT THAT DEUCE SAID "THAT" ABOUT MALEFICENT VS THE HUMANS IS... (trying to keep this wording vague so as to not spoil people who haven’t gotten there yet)

It’s nice to see Malleus and Deuce in the vignettes, I feel like they don’t get to interact that much (which is a shame because I think their dynamic is cute). They had a chapter together in the manga anthology too! I’m glad they could hang out some more.

A Tale as Old as Time.

The princess and her prince were picture perfect in the painting.

The woman, with golden curls that tumbled down her back. Her cerulean gown spilled to the polished floors like a fabric waterfall, the tiara in her hair catching the soft evening light. She gazed up at her lover's warm, twinkling eyes, and smiled.

The man, brunette, locks falling loosely across his forehead. He was handsome in a red tunic with a high black collar, a crimson cape billowing out behind him with each step he took. His gaze was locked with the princess's, his one and only.

Onlookers gathered in a ring around the two, spellbound by how they danced, bodies twinning like threads bound together. It was something precious they dared not disturb, even their breaths clutched like pearls to prevent their escape.

This was happily ever after, a dream come true.

It should have been.

Yet Malleus frowned. His brows drew together and his mouth pursed, a brewing storm settling over his face.

“Draconia-senpai?” Deuce called to him anxiously. “I-Is something wrong? You look a little scary…”

The first year glanced at the portrait of the royal couple. He jumped. “D-Don’t tell me, did this painting piss you off?! Er, I mean... Did it offend you?"

“No, nothing of the sort,” Malleus replied. He rested an index finger against his chin. “It sparked memories of my own days in court. As the crown prince to the Briar Valley, it goes without saying that I've attended a number of occasions similar to what is depicted here."

"Oh, for real? That makes sense, you being royalty and all. What were those events like?"

"Most are rather solemn affairs. Grandmother, the senators, and other politicians gather to discuss diplomacy, trade, and national policies. For certain occasions, there are traditional rituals that must first be performed. A royal birth, for example, must be blessed before the festivities can commence. If it is a knighting, then all the royal guard shall be present and a speech of one's accomplishments read."

Deuce blinked a few times, as though shedding sleepiness. His mind struggled to grasp the enormity of a prince's duties. He dropped the smartest sounding response he could: "That sounds tough."

Malleus lips slightly lifted. "I do not mind it. There is pride to be had in conducting such work."

I don't have a reason to doubt what he's saying, but... Deuce clenched his fists at his sides. If Draconia-senpai really feels that way, why does he still seem so pained?

The fairy drew out a sigh, as if dissatisfied with the silence. "... Ah, but how strange. When I look upon this painting, I see many people present... yet the princess touched by diurnal fae and her prince take no notice of them. They have eyes only for each other."

His words were velvet-lined, soft on the ears. Beneath them, a pang of longing rose like a fine mist at daybreak.

"What must it feel like to be so beloved?" Malleus wondered. "To have someone who considers you the most special being in all the world?"

Vines twisted in his gut, thorns prickling his insides. Frustration and molten discontent pooled. For all the power that he wielded, he failed to attain such a basic thing.

Love.

"Do you understand such a feeling, Spade?" The inquiry was pure acid.

"H-Huh, me?!" Deuce startled, not prepared for the demand in Malleus's voice. "Well... uh, I guess my mom calls me her big, strong man. Does that count?"

Malleus's brow furrowed. "I'm afraid I don't follow. Is it customary for children of man to refer to their offspring as 'big, strong men'?"

"I think that's just my mom's thing." He shrugged. "I'm the only man in the house, so I try to help her out if I can. She jokes about it when I do."

Malleus made a face. It was difficult to discern the emotion he wore.

"Moms, right?" Deuce gave a nervous laugh. "They can be embarrassing, but they care about us a lot."

"I never knew my mother."

"... Oh." A rock dropped in Deuce's stomach. He hurried for an apology as dread rippled through him. "Shit, my bad! I didn't mean to..."

Malleus held up a hand in an elegant dismissal. "Be at ease. I harbor no anger."

There was no point, he told himself, in rage expressed for a woman he had no bond with. Her face, her voice--they were all a mystery to him. She was but a stranger adrift in an abyss.

Still, a part of him sparked at the thought of her, of someone he had yet to meet--would never meet. The thrill of fates closely intertwined, the tenderness of a parent's love.

Malleus went quiet, lowering his hand.

"Grandmother and Lilia have done their utmost to mentor me in her stead." He sounded hollow, insistent. Like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was Deuce.

The Heartslabyul student swallowed. He placed a firm hand on Malleus's arm and squeezed. "... It's not enough, is it?"

He received no answer.

“Your mom is thinking of you, wherever she is.”

Malleus pulled away, presenting his back to Deuce. "Dead fae do not tell tales," he said simply.

“That doesn’t mean she loved you any less,” Deuce stubbornly protested. “Right up until her last breath… she must have been so happy to have you, thinking about what kind of person you’d grow up to be.”

Dreaming of the day when she can, at last, meet you.

Blink, and his eyes were wet. Blink again, and his vision blurred. Heartbeat hot and quick, galloping upon coals.

Did my mother truly…?

“She’d be damn proud of you too.” Deuce flashed a wicked grin. “Believe me.”

“… Hah.” Malleus chuckled dryly.

The longer he considered it, the more appealing the idea became.

A woman in his likeness—or was he made in hers? Papery kisses, fond embraces, words of affirmation. Fire that burned strongly, warding off the darkness.

Wouldn’t that be something?

"I love you, Malleus," whispered that she-phantom. Sweet nothings that sated his starved soul. "Forever and always. My dear son, my pride and joy."

The carefully constructed stone fortress around his heart faltered. His desire burned like a falling star.

He took a breath, and fell from the heavens with his wish.

“Thank you, Spade.”

Just for this moment, let me walk once upon a dream.

A single tear slipped down Malleus’s cheek.

And what a wonderful dream it was.

[edgeray]

HI, first of all, i love your write so much 💕💕💕💕💕, you're so creative, please, as long as you feel good writing, write!!! You are very good at it, and you feed Arle stans so weel.

Second, did you by any chance watched bridgerton ? If not, just ignore it, it's more to give a historical context (and dresses in beautiful scenery, for sure). Bridgerton is a period show (and books) that takes place at the beginning of the 19th century (1810-1820) [Although, I think Arlecchino would fit even more within the context of the Victorian age, but I think it might be an idea saved for another request]. Given the context, I believe my request becomes clearer :

Arlecchino who pretends to be a man (dressing and acting like one) to get married to the reader.

It's not news to anyone that Arlecchino is part of a powerful nobility family and it's also not news to anyone that she hates playing the female role given to her (and I can't imagine her wearing the fluffy dress ever!!!!), so seeing her childhood best friend become the diamond of the season (basically the favorite debutant of the season for both the queen and the suitors, in a very short way) She realizes that she needs to enter the marriage market too, in this case to fight for your hand.

Please feel free to change any part of the order, I don't want this to become boring for you to write.

So thank you for share your works and read it, (can i?) 🪷anon.

Courting a Lie

(Arlecchino x Fem! Reader)

A/N- Of course you can be 🪷 anon! Thank you for your kind words. I aim to feed. Arle for everyone!! Sorry that this is super late… I will assume the reader is female for this because a debutant is a woman. Also didn't know how to make it GN! since there's no gender neutral aristocratic titles as far as I know. Sorry GN! readers :(  While I haven't watched Bridgerton, from your description of the era, I've read quite a few manhwas set in a European aristocratic society that sounds just like this. I get the general gist of what you're saying from those manhwas so I drew some inspiration from there.  I've never really written for a historical fiction AU so we shall see how this goes. Apologies in advance if it is cringe. I did change a few things for the plot, but not because it was boring, more because of my own plot/backstory building. I actually had a lot of fun researching random bits for this request, and this request is among my most developed and thoughtful works on Tumblr! Still don't know how to dialogue though… I really liked writing this kind of setting so I would be pretty happy if a part 2 of this was requested... how did I do in terms of writing this? hopefully not too far from bridgerton?   Content warnings / info - arlecchino is referred to as a man and uses masculine pronouns for a little bit, 2.0k words

You don't quite remember what occasion it was when you first met her. Perhaps it was a charity ball or some celebration. Either way, you were at most eight years of age when you met your first friend, a quiet, petite child hiding in the corner of the Snezhevna Estate's garden, ducked nearby a bush. You wandered away from the garden party, as you couldn't find any other children your age that weren't pestering, so you explored the edges, admiring the flowers. 

You stumbled upon a white haired child, with her white dress sullied by her kneeling on the dirt. Similarly, her pale hands were soiled, as if she had dug into the earth with her fingers alone. You nearly gasped at the sight–no lady would ruin their dress so carelessly, especially a dress seemingly adorned as hers. Nevertheless, you were in awe of the courage to do so. Was it possible she wasn't educated well? It'd be damaging to her family's reputation if anyone were to see the condition of her apparel.

You approached her carefully, your voice small in hopes that you wouldn't sound rude. 

“Hello,” you greeted first, and the child turned her head over her shoulder, gazing at you. 

Your breath hitched as you glanced at her eyes, each black pit filled with a red cross in the center that made you suppose she didn't fit into any aristocratic family. You didn't know of any noble family that had such eyes, and it's only been known from noble families to hold particular sets of eyes. Did this girl really belong to nobility? 

“I know I'm not supposed to be in the dirt. Now leave me alone,” she says before turning away, her voice sounding far too monotone and androgynous for you to consider her a young noble lady. Nonetheless, the clear difference between her and the other guests of the function intrigued you. She was educated, or at least it seemed like it, but she had a disregard for creating a good impression. You ignored her request, instead, plopping yourself down beside her to see what it was in the dirt she was so interested in. 

“What are you digging in the dirt for?” You asked. She slumped, as if irritated by your persisted presence. 

“I'm looking for bugs. So go away, unless you want a spider on you,” she warned without looking at you, with the evident expectation her threat would ward you away. 

It did not, in fact, deter you. If anything, you pressed on, your expression contorting to that of fascination. “What kind of bugs?”

That seemed to snatch the young girl's attention as she turned to you, widened eyes as she observed you, searching your face for any lies. She couldn't believe that there was someone else who could be so ‘lady-like.’ Her apathy returns shortly after, and she glances back at the mound of dirt before her. 

“Young ladies aren't supposed to be interested in pests or dirtying their hands,” the white-haired child states, but it seems more like a recital of someone else's words. 

“Maybe. But it's fun, right?” You replied, offering her a small smile.

Although she still didn't face you, you watched her eyes gleam with life. Your grin grew in accordance. 

“So… you like bugs?” She questioned as she cups a worm she managed to uproot. 

“No way. Not touching them,” you shutted her down immediately and she pouted as you shook your head vigorously. 

“But… I thought you were better company than those other kids. So… I hope you don't mind having me too much?” you sheepishly remarked, wincing a bit at your apparent nervousness. In response, the girl huffed, gracing you with a faint smile. The sight sent flutters through your stomach, filling you with a rush of giddiness you never felt before. 

“Just don't scream, okay?” Is all she answered back.

And that was how you befriended the bastard daughter of the Snezhevna family. Since then, the two of you have been exchanging letters, and met each other at every possible social gathering in secret. Although your family discouraged meeting her so often, you ignored them. However, when you had just turned twelve, her letters stopped, as if she disappeared. You asked Marchioness Crucabena about her daughter, and all you received from the matriarch was a cold cut message: Peruere was receiving ‘education’ for indefinitely. 

Your heart sunk as you crinkled the letter in your hands, tears welling in your eyes at the thought of never seeing your dear friend again. Where had Peruere gone? You hastily wrote another letter, inquiring more about the education or if Peruere could write you back, but the Marchioness would not indulge you with additional information, essentially telling you to mind your business and to stop writing to her. 

You remember weeping into your pillows for the entire night until your eyes dried up, red and puffy from rubbing them constantly. You were haunted by memories of star gazing, of laying on the garden grass, of lounging in one another's arms. Your few moments of bliss were gone forever, stripped away with her absence. 

— 

Pureure always wished she wasn't born into a noble family. Aristocratic society was tedious and pretentious. Why her father ever chose to engage with something as disgusting as the Marchioness, it most definitely wasn't out of love–a fabled concept among nobles really. Peruere knew little of what happened to the late Marquess–his death was caused by a carriage accident–but she knew her birth father was with the Marchioness after the death. 

Regardless, between her and her half-sister Clervie, the Marchioness deemed Peruere better fitted as the heir of the family. In Peruere's opinion, Clervie would have made an impressive matriarch. However, when she inquired Clervie about it, her sister vehemently rejected the notion, wanting to remain carefree as she always was. For as heedless as her older sister was, she would be the model of a noblewoman, the favorite debutante had she wanted to take on the aristocratic responsibilities. In any case, Marchioness Crucabena always had a noticeable distaste for the two of them and Peruere suspected it was because she had no sons and marrying once more would mean losing the inheritance of her late husband. 

Peruere soon learned why exactly she was chosen as the next heir. It was easier for her to pose as a male rather than Clervie in order to appease the Marchioness. Added with Peruere's bastard status, few people knew of her existence, or more so, her familial ties with the Marchioness. With the Marchioness’s ‘education’ Peruere, the bastard daughter with a commoner surname, was transformed into Arlecchino Snezhevna, a bastard son with the Snezhevna surname, and so inheritor of the Marquess title. Pereure was erased effectively in the span of six years. 

Because Arlecchino was a bastard son, that label would have made it difficult to impose herself among other noblemen, and most especially, marry another powerful family. In that sense, what she could not make up in legitimacy, she had to make up in other qualities as a noble. Her hours, from dawn to dusk, consisted of history, economy, and art lessons, etiquette and mannerisms classes, 

and learning various skills such as conversational, dancing, equestrian, fencing, and hunting. Obtaining any length of slumber came few and far, and when rest was finally permitted, her body often ached too much for her to drift.

Instead, she laid conscious at night, her head tilted towards the window, the stars winking back at her. Her thoughts returned to you, as they always have during her respites, and she would wonder again and again if you were looking at the same night sky as she was, reminiscing over memories of stargazing. She often raised her hands to her eyes, the only question lingering in her mind would be if you would recognize these hands if she met you again, the same hands that held you. Alone in her chambers, Arlecchino, no Peruere, promised that she would meet you again, and maybe, this time she would never have to leave your side again. 

She only hoped that she would be good enough for you. 

—

Your heart is thumping rapidly against your chest while your clammy and fidgety hands grasp onto the gloved hand of your dance partner, maintaining deep breaths and keeping your composure as best as possible. You match the steps of the bachelor gracefully and diligentfully, feeling many spectators’ gazes on your back. It’s both invigorating and exhausting to realize that you are the diamond of the season. Receiving this many dance requests is a good sign, yes, but it only means that you are creeping closer to having to choose a suitor.

And inevitably lose Peruere forever. 

You quickly snap out of your thoughts in order to further entertain your dance partner with small talk, and finally the dance ends. 

“Thank you, Earl Childe. It was a pleasure dancing with you. You make an excellent dancer,” you offer the young redhead a beaming expression. 

“You're quite one yourself. I quite enjoyed our time. Perhaps we could dance more privately at a later date?” The sauve bachelor replies back, matching your practiced smile with a cocky one. 

“Perhaps,” is all you say, and thankfully the bachelor walks away. 

You let out a sigh of relief, but it seems you thought too soon, as another set of footsteps approach you from behind. Turning around, you’re met with perhaps the most refined and handsome gentleman you've graced your eyes upon. Immediately, you feel your cheeks swell and you feel unnaturally timid. Sincere red-crossed eyes meet yours, and a faint, charming smile stretches on the lips of the nearing bachelor.

“May I have this dance, Lady [F/N]?” He offers his hand gracefully, and you take his. 

“I haven't introduced myself, pardon me. I am, Earl Arlecchino, Earl of Snezhevna,” he introduces himself with a knowing smile, or rather, she introduces herself as your face contort to that of shock at the mention of her family name. You halt as she initiates the dance, her grin growing as fondness spreads over her facial expression.

“Peruere?” You whisper as you reach out, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder, your other gloved hand in hers. Her body warmth bleeds through the contact, and you sense it flow through your entire body. 

“It's Arlecchino, for appearances. I trust you won't expose me?” Peruere says, her eyes scanning over your entire form in awe. “You're… I don't quite have enough words to describe you. You're utterly beautiful.” 

You flush at the compliment before you forcefully tear yourself away from the bubbling giddiness within you, nodding at her first question. Your face attempts to appear stern and angry, but your eyes sabotage that. “I missed you… dearly. Where have you gone? Why didn't you write to me? I kept waiting for you…” 

Peruere's face softens, morphing to one of regret and sympathy. “I haven't stopped thinking of you either. My mother demanded I suddenly take lessons on how to be a nobleman, and with that, I was no longer Peruere, but Arlecchino. During that time, I had to endure everything my mother gave me, and I hardly had time to sleep. I have tried to send you some, but I suspected that the Marchioness meticulously checked what was sent and received. I've kept a pile of letters that I wrote for you, so you would be able to read everything I had to say over the years.” 

You inhale slowly before nodding, understanding her words. “You kept plaguing my dreams, Arlecchino. You don't know how long I've wanted to see you. Please… never leave me again. I don't think I can bear being without you again.” 

It's Arlecchino's turn to be surprised. “You… Are you asking me what you think you're asking me?” She breathlessly inquires, her voice on the edge of exhilaration, and you give her a hopeful smile. 

You nod. “I… I always thought you were the one since we were little. I didn't want to spend my time with anyone else. So… can you be beside me again?” 

Peruere nearly melts at your request. “As long as you'll allow me another dance.” 

[morganski-19]

The One Where It All Started

This takes place about a year before the rest of the posts will be taking place. Just to set the stage before the real schnenanigans start.

“So I said that was a terrible idea, because there was barely any research done so it would be misleading to the readers, right,” Nancy continued her story about the piece she’s been working on at work.

“Yeah, that would make me pissed,” Robin added, following along.

Nancy nods in agreement as she takes a sip of her coffee. “Exactly. I would rather print nothing than something they made up. But of course, the boss doesn’t think so. I’m thinking of dropping the project, so my name isn’t attached to it, but then that just means I ‘didn’t have faith in the work’. No shit I don’t, it’s completely fake.”

“Fuck those guys,” Steve adds, partially listening as he’s grading his student’s assignments.

Jonathan and Argyle walk into the café, finding the group at their normal seats and joining them.

“My dudes,” Argyle bellows. “How’s it going?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started,” Nancy groans.

Jonathan winces. “Those assholes at work again?”

“Yes,” Nancy exclaims. “I need to find another job but this is the best I could get after school.”

“Could be worse,” Robin adds.

“I know, I just hate working there.”

Steve stares at the paper in front of him with a confused expression. “What do you guys think of this one?”

He turns the paper around to reveal a hand turkey covered with red drops resembling blood. What would normally be the feathers are now plucked off and surrounding the turkey leaving the pink underneath. Or at least that’s what it looks like. It could just be pink feathers and a turkey standing on a pile of leaves. But that wouldn’t explain the X’s for eyes.

“Are you seriously grading hand turkeys right now?” Robin rolls her eyes. “And you think your job is hard.”

“Try to teach a bunch of first graders basic math after they’re all hyper from recess and then get back to me. And it’s not just hand turkeys. There’s also spelling tests somewhere in here.”

Jonathan takes the paper from Steve’s hand, showing it to Argyle better with a very concerned glare. “I think you might need to talk to this kid.”

“He drew a murdered turkey, dude. Kid’s got issues.”

Steve takes the picture back, assessing it more. “I mean, those could be leaves.”

Robin points to the picture. “And that’s not blood.”

“Yeah, I need to talk to the kid.” Steve turns it over and sees the name. “Wait, this is Bobby’s. His parents hunt wild turkeys. That’s normal.”

A man with long, brown curly hair approaches the group, wearing a leather jacket with a band tee and black jeans. “Sorry to interrupt but, Wheeler?” He turns toward Nancy, pointing softly at her.

“Oh my god, Eddie?” Nancy smiles standing up to give him a hug. “How are you? I haven’t seen you since high school.”

“Eh, it’s been better. But you, I saw the article you did last month. Best thing I ever read in the news.” Eddie sits down on the chair across from Nancy.

Steve is trying his hardest not to stare and keep grading his stack of papers, but it’s hard. Robin elbows him in the side and widens her eyes in a “Really?”. Steve shrugs in his defense, taking a sip of his mocha. Robin rolls her eyes.

“Aw, thank you. I worked hard on that. What are you up to now?”

“Kinda between jobs at the moment. I work as a freelance artist but I’m taking a break from that becoming a tattoo apprentice.”

“That is so cool, dude,” Argyle interrupts from across the table.

Nancy has a moment of realization. “Right. Eddie, these are my friends. Robin, Steve, Jonathan, and Argyle. Guys, this is my old friend from high school, Eddie.”

“Nice to meet you guys.”

The group replies with varied greetings, Steve and Eddie holding eye contact a bit longer than the rest of the group does. Resulting with another jab in Steve’s ribs from Robin. He yells at her with his eyes for her to stop.

“So, do you live in the city now?” Nancy goes back to addressing just Eddie.

He scratches at his chin with a pained faced. “Kinda. Moved here to live with my ex a few months ago. And then he sort of cheated on me, so I’m trying to find somewhere else, but money’s kind of tight right now.”

“Ugh, that sucks,” Nancy winces. “I’m sorry.”

“Is what it is.”

Nancy turns to Robin, whispering something in her ear. Robin shrugs and whispers something back.

“You know, if you wanted to, no pressure or anything,” Nancy starts. “But, my old roommate just moved out and I’m looking for a new one. It’s a nice place my grandma rents to me so it’s rent controlled. I know we haven’t talked much since high school, but it’s yours if you want it.”

“Have to think about it, and see the place. But that might be nice.”

“And you’d live across from me and Steve,” Robin adds, earning her an elbow to the ribs.

Eddie smiles flirtatiously. “Well that does sweeten the pot.” He notices the hand turkey still laying on the table. “What the fuck is wrong with that hand turkey?”

“I already said I would talk to the kid,” Steve groans.

“Why is this is this kid going on turkey hunting trips anyway,” Jonathan asks, concerned.

Steve shrugs. “How would I know, not my kid.”

Argyle reaches into his front pocket and pulls out a joint, handing it to Steve. “For your troubles.”

“This group is great,” Eddie laughs to himself, already agreeing to Nancy’s offer in his head.

General information about the fic here

Tag list (just tagged everyone who seemed interested, let me know if you want to be added or taken off) @slowandsteddie, @annieofhearts, @cacdyke, @ubpd, @captain--low, @thespaceantwhowrites, @goodolefashionedloverboi, @anne-bennett-cosplayer, @lunaticparisianlady, @apomaro-mellow, @dolphincliffs, @dragonmama76, @maggiebug417

[justagalwhowrites]

New in Town - Ch. 9: Second New Year

Ringing in the New Year after you and Joel's first year together. The last chapter of New in Town, found in its entirety on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Best Friend's Dad!Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: Smut :D. No use of Y/N. Age gap (reader is 35 Joel is 47, not a focus of the fic). Minors DNI, 18+ only

Length: 6.3k

AO3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter

“Sarah, if you don’t stop fucking with that it’s never going to stay,” you said, glaring at her in the mirror as you drew on eyeliner. 

“It’s driving me insane,” she groaned, leaning so close to the hotel bathroom mirror that she was fogging it with her breath, adjusting the false eyelashes for what had to be the millionth time. 

“Yeah, because you keep fucking with them,” you said. “You have to give yourself time to adjust to them. Or just take them off because I’m not spending half the night fixing them for you, drawing the line in the sand now.” 

“You are absolutely no fun,” she said but she smiled all the same. “It’s New Year’s Eve, I want to look extra good. Plus Nick thinks the long lashes are hot and I am ready for hotel room sex.” 

“I didn’t hear that,” Maria called from the bedroom where she was putting on her dress. 

“Hotel room sex, hotel room sex, hotel room sex!” Sarah called back. 

You laughed, picking up your mascara. 

“I don’t think it works like Beetlejuice where you say it enough times it just shows up.”

Sarah laughed back. 

“Fuck I hope not,” she said. “Really don’t want to manifest hotel room sex in front of my aunt and my mom.” 

She said the last word with a drawn out teasing edge and you had to pull the mascara wand away from your face so you didn’t end up with makeup in your eye from laughing so hard. 

“Swear to God if you don’t stop calling me that I will marry your dad just to spite you,” you said once you calmed down again. 

“You’re basically already married anyway,” Sarah said. “For the record, I would be fine with it.” 

You paused for a second, putting more mascara on the wand and looking at her in the mirror. 

“Yeah?” You asked. 

“Yeah,” she smiled at you in her reflection. “But don’t expect Mother’s Day gifts from me if it ever happens.” 

You snorted, returning to your makeup. 

“Better get a bouquet, box of chocolates, the whole nine for holding your hair when you get drunk.” 

You couldn’t believe it was already New Year’s Eve again. The last year had gone by so fast it didn’t seem like it could have contained quite as much as it did. But you’d spent almost the entire time so blissfully happy that it made sense that the time felt so damn short. 

Things with Joel had been going so well before Sarah found out that it was hard to believe it could really get better, but it did. Not feeling like you were hiding from the most important person in both your lives was like losing a weight you didn’t even know you were carrying. Neither of you were dancing around talking about how you were spending your time now, not being careful about what pictures you sent her and not having to just pretend like a huge part of your life didn’t exist when talking with her. 

When she went back to Seattle after Thanksgiving, the three of you started having weekly FaceTime calls, you and Joel sometimes on your couch or at his kitchen table or even in a hotel room in New Orleans once when you decided to get away for your first trip together as a couple. 

That Christmas had been the best you’d ever had. Not that there was much competition but Joel and Sarah both had completely brought you into all their holiday traditions. The driving around to look at Christmas lights with a thermos of hot cocoa, the annual trip to Mi Tierra in San Antonio so you could properly appreciate the Christmas lights that apparently were up year round. When Sarah came back to town a few days before Christmas, she dragged you and Joel to the mall and made the three of you take a picture with Santa. You got some funny looks in line - three full blown adults with nary a kid in sight - but Sarah whispered something to woman getting ready to take the picture and she smiled and nodded, helping the three of you get arranged for the photo. You sat lightly on one of Santa’s knees, Sarah on the other, Joel leaning against the side of the large chair. Joel insisted on getting the actual printed photo and, when you picked it up, they also handed you a candy cane and a small Santa figurine. You frowned at it for a second.

“First Santa visits should be commemorated,” the woman behind the counter smiled. “Merry Christmas!” 

You looked at Sarah for a second, worried you might cry and she smiled. 

“You have a Christmas decoration now,” she said. “But if you really don’t want it at your place, we can add it to the Christmas village at Dad’s!” 

You just hugged her and she laughed, hugging you back. 

That Christmas, the figurine and the picture sat on the book shelf in your living room, right where you could see them from your couch. The perfect image of the kind of life you’d always wanted to have, one that was filled with people who loved you. 

This year, the figurine and picture were at Joel’s because you were, too. 

Your lease was up in the fall and, by that point, the two of you were having a hard time remembering the last time you’d slept apart. You were wondering how to broach the subject with Joel - did you just ask if you could move into his house? Was not quite a year of knowing each other too soon? Did you just find a new apartment and never mention it? - when he brought it up one night over dinner. 

“Your lease is comin’ up soon, right?” He asked and you froze for a second, a bite of enchilada on your fork half way to your mouth. 

“Yeah,” you said when you remembered how to move and respond again. “Six weeks I think? They want me to decide whether or not I’m staying within the next two…” 

“Have you thought about if you might want to move in with me?” He asked, his jaw tense but his eyes soft. “Only if… you know… you thought you were ready for that. Just figure I’m at yours or you’re at mine most nights anyway and…” 

“Joel,” you smiled, setting your fork down and leaning on the table with your arms crossed in front of you. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” 

“Only if you wanted,” he said quickly. “Not tryin’ to… I dunno… put pressure on you or something. Never tried to do this before so…” 

You pressed your lips together, trying not to laugh. More at yourself than at Joel. Because of course he was thinking what you were thinking. Of course you were in the same place on this. Of course you were both nervous about bringing it up to each other. 

“I’d love to move in with you,” you said once you were sure you had yourself together. “As long as you’re offering because that’s what you really want and not because you think you should.” 

“Oh I want it,” he was smiling now and leaning toward you across the table. “Was considering just taking stuff from your place and moving it to mine, get you in the door before you even knew it was happening.” 

“That what happened to my sexy underwear?” You teased. 

“Nah,” he waved you off. “I stole those to jerk off with when you’re not there because you don’t live with me yet. Can have ‘em back when we unpack the moving truck.” 

You moved in a few weeks later. Joel cleared out most of his closet, his jeans and button downs taking up only a small corner of it to begin with, and built you shelving for your purses and shoes. He made space for your things throughout his home, for your favorite pots and pans in the kitchen, for your decorations in the living room. Setting aside the bits and pieces of his life to make sure it could hold yours, too. If he’d asked you to marry him in that moment, you’d have said yes in a heartbeat. 

“Oh shit,” you sighed, rifling through your makeup bag. “I think I left my fucking lipstick in my room…” 

You went to get your room key from your clutch but Sarah plopped a tube of lipstick in front of you first. 

“Use mine,” she said. “I’m almost ready and I don’t want to waste time with you up down three floors and all the way over to your room before we go to the party. I want cocktails, I want music and I want to flirt with my hot boyfriend while I wear a slutty dress.” 

“Maria is still getting dressed, I’ve got five minutes…” 

“No you don’t!” She called from the bedroom before coming to the bathroom door and turning around. “Zip me?” 

You laughed and obeyed, Maria adjusting the dress a bit before turning back around. 

“Hey sexy mama!” You whooped at her. “That looks like it was made for you.” 

“Right?” She flung her long braids over her shoulder before admiring herself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door. “My pregnancy boobs have shown up but the bump is still in hiding. It’s the perfect dress moment, had to take advantage of it.” 

“Hear that little one?” Sarah said, looking toward Maria’s lower stomach. “You’re making your mom look hot!” 

“Hotter,” you corrected. “They’re making their mom look hotter.” 

You settled for Sarah’s lipstick and the three of you headed for the elevator to go meet up with the guys. 

Your first New Year’s Eve with Joel had been far more low key. Sarah was in town and Joel invited Tommy and Maria over to watch the ball drop. You’d ordered pizza and gotten drunk and played charades with your boyfriend’s family and, at midnight, kissed Joel so deeply that you could taste the champagne on his tongue. 

This year, you had plenty to celebrate. It was Maria and Tommy’s last one before they became parents - you highly doubted they’d be up until midnight next year. Sarah had gotten promoted and you’d gotten her a job at the Austin branch in August. She had moved back to town just a few months before you moved in with Joel and the three of you had found a comfortable - if unusual - dynamic as a family. And it felt like you had finally found everything you’d ever truly wanted. 

Instead of staying home this New Year’s Eve, you all decided to go to a party at one of the nice hotels in Houston. You’d all gotten hotel rooms so no one had to drive and the boys had all gone on ahead to the rooftop bar to hold a table while the three of you got ready to go. 

“Crap, one sec,” Sarah said, frowning at her phone as the three of you went for the elevator. “Left something in the room, wait for me, OK? I don’t want to try to find them on my own!” 

You and Maria watched her run back to her room - where the three of you had been getting ready - and you frowned as she tottered on her high heels. 

“Is she acting weird?” You asked as Maria leaned against the wall. 

“Sarah?” Maria laughed. “She’s always weird.” 

She came back a few minutes later, tugging her dress down as she went and a little breathless when she got there. 

“OK,” she smiled and took a deep breath. “Now we’re good!” 

You were almost giddy as you rode the elevator up to the party, feeling the thud of music through the elevator doors before they opened. 

It was hard to say why you were just so excited. It wasn’t like you’d never been to a party before - you and Sarah had rung in the New Year at a party a lot like this one that your office had handled the advertising for in Seattle one year - but it felt like something new. Like you were stepping into the first year of your life where everything had finally fallen into place. 

“Hey!” Tommy yelled, standing and waving his arm over his head as he saw the three of you leave the elevator. You could barely hear him over the thud of the bass. “Over here!” 

“How many beers do you think he’s had?” Maria asked conspiratorially and you laughed. 

“Probably the same number mine has,” you replied, smiling at Joel as he craned his neck to get a better look at you. 

“Holy hell woman,” he said, getting out of the round booth as you got to the table. He pressed a kiss to your cheek and dropped his voice low. “Not sure I’m gonna take that dress off you later, might need to leave it on.” 

You smiled as he gave you a squeeze and you sat down, Joel sliding in beside you, one hand of his going below the table to the inside of your thigh. 

One thing that hadn’t changed in the last year was just how insatiable the two of you were for each other. You kept waiting for it to calm down a bit, to stop looking at him and immediately start thinking of how to get him alone and naked as quickly as possible. But Joel was still the single sexiest man you’d ever seen and was still far and away the best in bed. You couldn’t help but want to fuck him all day every day. You were just thankful he seemed to feel the same way about you. 

One of your favorite things about living with Joel was your after work routine. When you managed to make it so you left the office around the same time Joel left his job site, you’d join him in the shower, your hair in a knot on top of your head to keep from getting too soaked, Joel still a little sweaty and dirty from a hard day’s work. Sometimes, you just enjoyed each other. You loved the quiet intimacy of it, of being in such a private space together in just your skin, helping him wash the day from his body before he pulled you against him under the water. Other times, Joel pressed you against the cool tile and fucked into you, hard and fast and eager, making your back arch as your leg wrapped around him, the heat of his mouth and the steam filling you when you kissed him. 

The new routines had just given you more reasons and opportunities to fuck, it seemed, instead of sex getting lost in the monotony of daily life. Sometimes it was in the middle of late night TV when you were both getting tired on the couch. Sometimes it was when you were putting away laundry. Sometimes it was when you were making dinner. 

It was just that, sometimes, it required… additional boundaries. 

Sarah had a key to Joel’s place, of course, but she quickly learned that she needed to announce herself before just coming in the door when she wasn’t expected, her walking in the house without warning when he was deep inside of you while you were draped over the kitchen counter was a little too close for comfort for all three of you. 

“I have literally never wanted to know less about your sex life,” she shuddered a few hours later when you were sitting in Joel’s back yard, fully clothed with a beer in your hand. 

You laughed. 

“Never wanted you to know less about it so that works just fine for me.” 

You, Joel and Sarah all had dinner together at least once a week, another routine you’d come to love, and you got Sarah all to yourself most days over lunch, happy for the chance to laugh with your best friend.

You weren’t sure life could get much better. 

“Oh sweet!” Sarah said as the waitress came by the table, tray of drinks in hand, passing a cosmopolitan to Sarah. “Who knew this was just what I wanted?” 

“Happy to take credit for that,” Nick smiled, kissing her cheek and you smiled at him. He was a relatively new addition to Sarah’s life but he seemed promising. You’d never seen her quite so giddy over a guy before and you were trying not to mention it so you wouldn’t jinx it. 

When she finally owned up to being hung up on the man, though, you were going to start teasing her as relentlessly as she’d been teasing you. You were getting double wedding jokes lined up and ready, waiting for the perfect moment to hit her with it. 

But it was a holiday. You’d take it easy on her for a little while longer. Assuming she stopped calling you Mom. 

Joel had been paying attention too, it seemed, and the server handed you a mojito. Appropriate, since you’d just been lamenting the fact that you didn’t have fresh mint at home just two nights before. 

“How often are you really gonna muddle mint for a drink?” Joel asked, barely contained smile on his face. 

“At least once in a while!” You laughed. “Come on, we could do a whole herb garden in the yard…” 

“You are not gonna keep a garden alive.” 

“Yes I will!” You protested. He raised his eyebrows at you, incredulous. “If I have the motivation of cocktails I will.” 

“Fine,” he sighed but still smiled, kissing your forehead. “In spring I’ll build you a garden and you can kill as many herbs as you want, Beautiful.”

“Is this supposed to bribe me into you not making me a garden?” You teased, taking a sip of the drink. 

“Baby, I will make you whatever makes you smile,” he kissed your exposed shoulder. “But if I’m saving the lives of some poor, innocent plants by ordering you a cocktail…” 

You laughed and kissed him, the scratch of his facial hair on your skin comforting and familiar. 

The party really picked up not long after you got there and you, Sarah and Maria went to dance while the guys hung back to talk for a bit. 

“You don’t think they’re being too hard on him do you?” Sarah asked, watching the table. 

“Oh I’m sure they’re being super nice,” you said. “Joel and Tommy have never been protective of you, not once.” 

“Oh God,” she groaned but she smiled. 

“Wouldn’t worry too much,” you laughed. “It looks like he’s weathering it well.” 

“Hold on,” Maria smiled and shook her head. “We can get him some help…” 

She started waving to Tommy, who clapped Nick on the shoulder and got out of the booth to join his wife on the dance floor. You looked at Joel, eyebrows raised, until he met your gaze and you saw him sigh and smile before heading your way. 

You put your arms around his neck and kissed him, pressing tightly to him and feeling every line of him through your clothes. His hands went to your waist, pulling you closer. 

“You tryin’ to distract me?” He asked when you pulled away. 

“Trying to get you to play nice,” you teased. 

“Always play nice,” he said as you turned around in his hold, your ass going back against his hardening length. He lowered his lips to your ear, his breath hot on your skin. “Except when you ask me not to.” 

You resisted the urge to drag him back to your hotel room right that second. Instead, you pressed yourself harder against him, moving your body in time to the pulsing, thrumming rhythm. His hands slid to your hips and you couldn’t help but think of how they felt on your bare skin. 

But you managed to keep it together for a few songs, dancing until you were breathless and you really couldn’t take it anymore. You draped yourself around Joel again, pressing your lips to his ear. 

“Order me a water and another mojito,” you said, your hand sliding into his pocket, brushing his half hard cock through his jeans, as you grabbed your phone. “And check your texts.” 

You didn’t give him a chance to respond, just meeting his wide eyes for a moment before slipping into the crowd. You went around to the pool area of the rooftop, far quieter than the bar and the dance floor, the lounge chairs all stacked up next to a storage space that looked like it would provide the perfect cover from the dance floor. You took a selfie with just a glimpse of the thudding party in the background and texted it to him. 

“Come find me.” 

It didn’t take him long, coming around the corner while glancing back over his shoulder, looking nervous. You grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him into you, your back against the storage room. 

“You are up to no good,” he said, pressing you back against the wall, his mouth covering yours, his body warm against the cool night air. “Tryin’ to get us kicked out of the damn hotel?” 

His hand went to your breast, anyway.

“We can keep our clothes on,” you panted against him. “Be very well behaved. Like that time in the bathroom.” 

“Fuck, Beautiful,” he groaned, putting his thigh between your legs, your skirt covering part of his jeans. He rocked his hips against you, his hands going to your waist, the outline of his hard cock against your stomach. “Wanna make me come in my pants like a fucking teenager?” 

“Don’t think we’re making it to midnight any other way,” you were needy, aching as you ground your pussy down on the straining muscle of his leg. 

“Still gonna let me fuck you later?” He kissed down your neck, rutting harder against you, your hands on his shoulders, grip tightening. 

“You think I’m starting a new year without you inside me as soon as possible you’re insane.” 

He laughed a little and nipped at your collarbone before pulling you tighter against his leg, making you moan. You started working yourself harder and faster against him, pulling him tighter to you, your wetness soaking your panties. 

“You’re close, aren’t you, Baby?” He asked, voice dark. Your motions stuttered but you nodded frantically against him. “Gonna come all over my fucking leg aren’t you? Come from just riding my fucking thigh?” 

You were close enough that you’d lost the ability to speak. You just nodded again and he kissed you, hard and messy and deep and you pressed yourself firmly against his leg as you fell apart, the tight coil inside yourself snapping as your clit throbbed against him. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He gasped as he pressed his cock hard against you and you felt him throbbing there, spilling into his jeans before slumping against you. His nose brushed yours for a moment and you smiled, kissing him lightly. 

“You’re going to kill me,” he laughed a little breathlessly. “More than a year into this and you still want me to fuck you so bad you’re dragging me away from a party?” 

“That’s nothing,” you teased. “Wait until we’re really old and we’re finding ways to sneak around the nursing home.” 

He laughed and kissed you again. 

“Love you so fuckin’ much.” 

It was easier to focus on the party after that. Tommy gave Joel a look when you made it back to the table and Joel told him to mind his own business and you laughed and drank your mojito. 

By the time midnight rolled around, you’d been pleasantly tipsy for more than an hour, draping yourself over Joel at every opportunity when you weren’t dancing with Sarah and Maria. As the countdown started, the six of you crowded onto the dance floor with everyone else, champagne in hand, Joel’s arm around you as he held you to his side. 

“Three, two, one!” 

Joel turned you to him and kissed you before you’d even had a chance to yell happy New Year and you sank into him, almost forgetting about the drink in your hand until some of it dribbled down your wrist, making you laugh against his lips. 

“Couldn’t let a second of the year go by before I kissed you for the first time,” he said, his lips still close to yours. The knot of heat and wanting that had eased after your antics earlier was back with full force. 

“Good,” you said quietly, drinking in the hungry look in his eyes. 

“It’s supposed to be a toast, you insatiable weirdos,” Sarah laughed and you laughed back, separating from Joel far enough to raise your glasses and toast with your new found family. 

It wasn’t long before all of you made your way to the elevators, piling into one with a handful of strangers, you happy for the excuse to stay pressed tightly against Joel. 

“Good luck!” Tommy said, a teasing edge to his voice when the doors dinged open on your floor. 

You frowned at him, confused, as the doors closed and you laughed a little as Joel led you back to the room. 

“Why do you need luck? Is Tommy under the impression that you have to work to get sex out of me?” You teased. “Because it’s sweet that you’d protect my honor that way but we both know that’s a damn lie.” 

“Tommy’s just a dumbass,” Joel replied. “Ignore him, that’s what I do.” 

You laughed, the tail end of your buzz waning. 

“Thinking we should take full advantage of that jacuzzi tub,” you said as Joel unlocked the hotel room door. “And use it to research the investment of a hot tub in the back yard…” 

“You’re insatiable,” he teased, opening the door for you. 

You laughed and were so busy looking at him - his thick, dark hair that was flecked with gray; his plush lips; his soft eyes - that it took you a second to realize there were roses and petals all over the room, a bottle of wine chilled in a bucket on the small table. 

“Joel?” You looked back at him and he just shrugged, smiling. 

You went further into the room and realized that it wasn’t just flowers and wine. There were framed pictures of you and Joel from the last year of your lives together. One of the two of you on Bourbon Street, another from when you decided to actually take those wine tasting classes you’d talked about, one from your second Longhorn’s game. There were at least a dozen, each one making it look so, so obvious that you made each other happy. That you gave each other the lives you wanted. 

You picked up the picture by the bedside, the first selfie you’d ever taken together. You were hiking and you’d held your arm out far enough to try to capture some of the view behind you. You were smiling hugely at the camera, hair grimy with sweat, Joel’s arm around your shoulders. But he wasn’t looking at the camera. Instead, he was looking at you. Looking at you like you were the only thing worth looking at. Looking at you like you made him happier than just about anything else on Earth. 

“What…” You trailed off, looking up from the picture to see Joel, on one knee with a box in his hands at the foot of the bed. 

You gasped and jumped, your hands covering your mouth on instinct, eyes wide. Your feet moved before you really realized what was happening and it seemed sudden that you were right in front of him.

“Joel,” you breathed, trembling hands slowly leaving your face. 

“For a very long time,” he said, his voice assured. “It felt like I’d gotten the only good thing I was going to get out of life. I had Sarah and seemed wrong to ask for more than that so I wasn’t lookin’ for it. Wasn’t lookin’ for you. But then I found you - or you found me, anyway - and I realized just how good life could be as long as I got to live it next to you. 

“You are the single best person I’ve ever met. You’re so smart and funny and creative and kind and the most fun I’ve ever had and I can’t imagine anything better than getting to live the rest of my life with you. Will you make me the happiest man on Earth and marry me?” 

***

Joel wasn’t sure his heart had ever beat this fast. Maybe when Sarah was first born and there were the torturous few seconds of silence before she started crying, not sure how anything about pregnancy or babies worked. Definitely never since. 

But the silence between you seemed to drag on for an eternity even though he knew it could have only been a second or two. That didn’t stop his heart from racing. 

“Yes,” you nodded, your voice thick, tears in your eyes. “Yes, yes, yes, yes yes!” 

You damn near tackled him and he laughed, catching you and holding onto you as he lowered the two of you to the ground on a bed of rose petals. 

Joel, Tommy and Nick had been in here getting everything set up while Sarah and Maria kept you busy in Sarah’s room. There was a brief moment of panic when Sarah texted that the three of you were headed to the party and Joel had to ask her to buy at least two minutes because they were walking to the elevator themselves. 

“I’m so happy for you, man,” Tommy said, clapping Joel on the shoulder as they headed up to the party. “You deserve this, you really fuckin’ do.” 

“She ain’t said yes yet,” Joel said, feeling the nerves all sudden and hot under his skin. “Don’t jinx it.” 

“She’ll say yes,” Tommy said, sounding so confident. “Don’t ask me WHY but that woman adores you. She’s gonna love it.” 

He hoped you did. He hoped you loved the idea at all, that you loved the proposal, that you loved the ring. Sarah had helped pick that part out so he was more confident of that, finding a piece that was elegant without looking dated, something that he hoped you’d like wearing for the rest of your life. 

Because that’s what he wanted. He wanted you, wanted to make you happy, for the rest of your life. 

He slid the ring onto your finger, the diamond catching the light as he did. 

“Are you serious?” You asked, looking from the ring to him. 

“Serious about spending the rest of my life with you?” He asked. “Can’t think of anything better.” 

You threw your arms around his neck and kissed him, hard and needy. He leaned into it for a moment before he pulled back from you. 

“Should move to the bed,” he breathed. “Gotta treat my fiancee right.” 

You just nodded quickly and Joel got up before helping you to your feet. 

He tugged your dress up and over your head - as much as he wanted to fuck you in the sexy little thing you’d been tempting him with all night, the need to feel your skin was too great - and eased you down onto the bed. 

You moved to the middle of it and Joel got undressed, his eyes watching you hungrily, the glint of his ring on your finger making him somehow even harder. You removed your bra and cast it aside before you slipped your panties down your legs and tossed them to the side, leaving you exposed and bare. You were everything it seemed like he’d ever wanted and you were his, the proof of it right there on your hand. He fisted his cock, pumping himself once, twice, as he climbed between your legs. 

He wanted to make this last. He wanted to go down on you and swallow your pleasure until you were screaming with it. He wanted to kiss every inch of your skin. He wanted to tease you with his fingers until you were begging for his cock. But he wasn’t sure he could, not that moment. He had a feeling you wouldn’t be leaving the bed for a few days after this.

“Joel,” you panted, watching him, pupils blown and back arched. He smiled. For some reason, you wanted him like he wanted you. 

“Yes, Mrs. Miller?” He breathed, settling between your open legs, the apex of your thighs hot against his skin. You moaned and rocked your hips up against him, your needy little clit pressing into his skin. 

“Fuck,” you moaned, closing your eyes, fingers gripping his bicep tightly. “Love the sound of that…” 

“You have no idea, Beautiful,” he said, kissing you, grinding his cock against your dripping slit. You moaned, the movement of your hips stuttering for a moment before you adjusted the angle so the tip of him was catching on your entrance with ever pass, just enough for the most sensitive part of him to be enveloped in your tight, wet heat. 

“Need you,” you were almost gasping with it, desperate and wanting. “Please, please, need to feel you, I need…” 

“Always going to give you what you need, Baby,” he said, his cock dipping further into you this time before he pulled back and pushed himself against your clit again. “Always gonna take care of you, always.” 

He pushed into you then, firm but not to fast, your breath catching on your throat as he did. Joel kissed you, trying not to think about how damn good you felt, how it seemed like he belonged right there, deep inside you. 

“Fuck,” your nails dug into him but he held on. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good how do you feel this fucking good?” 

He could only moan in response, fucking into you, feeling you open up to him, your walls gripping him tight. He stayed still inside you for a moment, savoring it, the feeling of you around him while he was over you, the way you held onto him. 

But he couldn’t last that way for long. You - his fiancee. His fiancee, no one else’s, you belonged to no one but him - felt too damn good for him to last too long inside of you and he had to move, he had to. 

So he did, starting a little slower but still firm, pressing his hips into you so your hot little clit was against his skin. 

He could feel you starting to tighten around him, like your body was trying to pull him deeper somehow, your lips messy and desperate when they found his, trialing little kisses over his body when they don’t. 

“That’s it, Beautiful,” he panted into you. “Come for me, can feel how close you are, just let go for me, let me feel you. Need to feel you…” 

You gasped his name and pressed your whole body tight against him as you came around him, your pussy fluttering around him, working his cock, all warm and soft trying to pull him as deep as you could take him. He fucked you through it, hardly able to hold off his own orgasm, the aftershocks of yours still rippling through your tight channel when he emptied himself into you until he didn’t even have the strength to hold himself up anymore, collapsing on you, his head over your shoulder so he could smell your skin and your hair. Fuck, he loved that smell. Fuck, he loved you. 

After a minute, he adjusted the two of you so you were draped over his chest, your arms all soft and pliant, close enough that he could feel your heartbeat on his skin, feel your soft, little breaths on him. You held up your left hand, turning the ring back and forth in the light. 

“You’re sure about this?” You asked, glancing up at him as you fidgeted with the ring. 

“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” he said. “Would make you Mrs. Miller tomorrow if you’d let me.” 

You laughed a little at that, putting your hand down on his chest and taking a deep breath. 

“Doesn’t seem fair,” you said softly. 

“What doesn’t?” 

“You’ve given me so much,” you said. “You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted - everything. Feels like I’m not holding up my end.” 

“You kiddin’ me?” He scoffed. “You’re so perfect I have to remind myself that you’re real sometimes, that I’m not just imagining you. You make me the luckiest man on Earth every damn day by just breathing in the same room as me. If anything’s not fair, it’s that I got too greedy asking you to marry me. Should know to quit when I’m this far ahead.” 

You laughed and pressed your lips into his chest, looking at the ring again, twisting it this way and that with your thumb. 

“Make you a deal,” you said, adjusting your head so you were looking at him. 

“What’s your proposal?” He asked, teasing. 

“You take care of me,” you said. “Make sure I’m not getting too overwhelmed or overdoing it at work or just getting too in my own head. I’ll take care of you, make sure you take time for yourself, make sure you relax, make sure you know how great you are. Deal?” 

He smiled a little. 

“Deal, Mrs. Miller.” 

You smiled bigger. 

“Excellent, Mr. Miller.” 

He kissed your forehead. 

“Don’t have to change your last name, you know,” he said, giving you a squeeze. “I can always just call you that for my own damn enjoyment without making it official.” 

You laughed a little. 

“No, I want to change it,” you said. “Sarah was right all along. I think I’m going to make a great Miller.” 

A/N: Ahhh! I hope you all loved reading the story of Joel and Sarah's best friend as much as I loved sharing it! These two are so fun and so sweet, I'm so glad I got to give them the happy ending they deserved.

Thank you so so much for being here, for following along with this little story that started as a one shot based on a request that came in after I wrote another one shot as a request. I so appreciate that you're here, that you've spent your time with this fic and these characters and all of your support. This corner of the internet means everything to me and it's because you're a part of it <3 Love you!

Taglist: @fanficismydrug

[b3llawr1tes]

THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER matt sturniolo.

summary : you meet a boy at a party under not very nice circumstances. ! angelina's character is you, i hate the y/n thing. imagine you're her !

disclaimer : no nsfw content, just some fluff, alcohol & drug use (not heavy), smoking, swearing, everyone is over 18

— PART ONE

it was a very hot summer evening in california. today i went to the beach with some of my friends. just hung out then came back home. i’ve always loved the beach. the sound of the ocean and the waves always made my mind calm down. i’ve been living alone for a year now and honestly, it wasn’t at all what i was expecting. i was doing great.

i had troubles with depression and addiction ever since i was young, but somehow it got better now. and my bad mental health wasn’t because of my parents, don’t get me wrong. and not because of my siblings either. i love them all very much. i’m beyond grateful for everything they’ve done for me.

but enough about my past. i got back from the beach around 7 pm and i was waiting for my friend natalie to come over. we had a party we were invited to, lucas, one of our friends decided to throw a huge back to summer party, as garduates. i was so excited.

i took a shower, i walked up to the bathroom’s sink where my phone lit up, revealing a text message from natalie, by bestest of by best friends.

natalie

hey girl are you ready for this??

i looked at the message and chuckled. nat could always make me smile no matter the circumstances. she was always so hype, i became excited too.

me

yesss!! when u coming?

natalie

be there in 10 put on some music xx

i closed my phone and got dressed. i was already blasting my music from the big speaker in my living room i bought when i was 16. back then i felt like i was the coolest and honestly i was. and i still am. i was listening to some 2000’s girl music like britney spears, nelly furtado, rihanna etc., one of my favorite types of music.

i sang along to the lyrics while i chose my outfit for the night which consisted of a pair of baggy jeans, a brown belt i got from my dad and just a basic black shirt. my makeup wasn’t anything worth mentioning, but i felt good about myself in it and that’s what matters.

natalie arrived, i greeted her with a big smile, showing off my outfit before she did too. we took a few shots, talked about some random things, then i got my shit together and we were ready to go. natalie texted jake, one of our friends, who was supposed to pick us up, that we were ready and in less than 10 minutes we were blasting music in the car, with him, feeling the party spirit.

“are you girls ready for this? whoooo!” jake yelled and we both yelled back a ‘yes’.

i looked outside the window when a slowed song started playing, looking at the flashing lights, all the people we were passing by, thinking about how beautiful life is when you have people you can have fun with. and how excited i was to meet so many new people tonight. we were just a few minutes late, and when we got there we all got out of the car which was parked perfectly between two others.

“this is sooo fun. do you have a cigarette jake?” nat asked. i just laughed while the blonde haired boy handed her one.

we walked up to the house, and there were people already passed out on the front garden, some still drinking. thank god we weren’t surrounded by so many neighbours. when we got to the door, jake opened it and my eyes widened. there were people everywhere. mostly in the living room on the so-called ‘dance floor’ dancing to some 2010’s music.

now this is a party.

“this is fucking insane. let me find drew.” jake said then walked to the back and out to the backyard.

“i think he likes you.” i said to nat, trying really hard not to yell so loud, but that was nearly impossible.

“what? no he doesn’t.” said the girl.

“i saw the way he looked at you. you should make a move.” i said.

“nah, you’re delusional, but thanks. let’s find the alcohol shall we?” natalie asked and grabbed my hand, leading me towards the kitchen.

louder music filled my ears as we found the place we were looking for, many bottles of many things in front of our eyes. to be honest i wasn’t the biggest drinker, only occasionally like this time. only when there was a party going on. so i let my friend choose whatever she wanted to drink.

she wanted to take shots.

so we took a few more shots before going to the living room. one of our favorite songs started playing.

“oh my god this is our song you hear that?” i yelled to my friend who looked at me with the biggest smile i’ve ever seen jumping up and down in excitement.

“yes, let’s dance!” she said.

so we did. we danced our heart out to be honest, i danced until my feet couldn’t handle it anymore, drinking whatever nat was drinking, feeling like this night will last forever. i went outside to have some fresh air fill my lungs, while natalie went to find jake who was smoking somewhere in the backyard.

i took a deep breath and let the air fill my lungs. i opened my eyes and realized i couldn’t really stand on my feet anymore. i could still feel the alcohol in my system but not as much as i did an hour ago. thankfully. i tried sitting down on one of the chairs out there, but my legs said no so i almost fell backwards, into the house through the big glass door.

“woah! you good?” someone asked from behind me, balancing me back on to my feet before i could fall.

“yeah thanks.” i said, sitting down, finally, with the help of this someone.

i brushed my hair out of my face, and looked up at the person.

“are you really drunk?” he asked, before i could even process his presence.

“a bit. i was just dancing for so long my legs gave up on me.” i said, laughing. he did too.

i tried focusing my eyes on him. he had brown hair, kind of falling in front of his face a little bit. fluffy. good. he also had blue eyes, and what i liked about them is they looked tired. so hot. he also had a sculpture-like face, his jawline sharp. he had a beautiful smile, i felt lucky i could see it.

“that’s cool. are you alone?” he asked.

“why you wanna kidnap me?” i asked back.

“no, no no no, sorry that came out wrong. i just don’t want you to get lost or hurt you know?”

that’s cute. but i just couldn’t take my eyes off his tattoo’s covering one of his arms.

“yeah, thanks. i’m with two of my friends. i also know quite a few people in there.” i said, pointing inside with my head.

“okay.”

“who are you here with?” i asked.

“my brothers.”

“i love that. well, have fun mysterious guy, maybe fate will bring us back together. i’m going to find my friend. have a nice night!” i said, standing back up, going inside.

“try not to fall next time!” he yelled after me, and i smiled to myself.

that was what you call a meet-cute? i have no idea, i just wanted to find natalie. i found her talking to jake in one of the living room’s corner. i went up to them.

“what you got there?” i asked them looking at their cups.

“straight up vodka girly, you want some?” the black haired girl asked, handing me the alcohol.

the cup was almost full, so i decided to down it. i thought ��when if not now? also we only live once don’t we?’ so i just handed the empty cup back to her with a big smile on my face trying to hide the fact that vodka by itself tastes terrible.

“i just met the hottest boy outside. you won’t believe it.” i yelled.

“what? really? who is he?” my friend asked.

“i don’t know. mystery guy. couldn’t ask for his name.”

before nat could speak up, jake did.

“then snort this and you’ll basically see him everywhere.”

i thought for a second. i knew it was cocaine. have i done it before? yes. twice. once i didn’t want to, once i did. one time it was good, one time it wasn’t. but it was a back to summer party, everyone’s only goal was to get drunk and high. and who was i to decline that? plus nat always tries to include herself so that i wasn’t alone in all these.

so we both did a line.

i inhaled, then exhaled. i grabbed my girlfriend’s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. my legs felt sore, but not too sore to the point where i couldn’t dance. i could always dance. so we did. for another hour. i felt the drug hit me, bright lights everywhere. the music filled my whole body. i was loudly singing the lyrics. it felt like what i imagine heaven to feel like.

then i opened my eyes and didn’t know here i was.

i knew i was still at the party, but i was outside. the last thing i could remember was me and nat walking out of the house into the front yard, but now i was alone. i tried calling her phone. no answer. i felt horrible. i think was even standing next to my own puke. i tried calling jake. no answer. what the fuck? where are they?

then i turned around to see three people walk out of the house. one of them i could recognize as the mysterious boy i talked to ouside earlier. but then… i could recognize all of them. all of them looked like that one guy. wait. what? i thought i was hallucinating thanks to the drug i took before, but no. i wasn’t.

“do you guys seriously look the same?” i asked, walking up to them.

“yeah?” the one in the middle asked with a focused look on his face.

“that’s crazyyyy.” i added.

“oh hey, you’re the girl who was dancing until her legs gave up right?” the guy i “knew” asked.

“yeah, yeah.”

“you know her matt?” the third oy asked.

“oh yeah we met earlier what’s up?” matt asked.

“my friends ditched me. i don’t know where they are they aren’t picking up the phone and i’m panicking a little bit.” i said the truth.

“hey it’s okay. maybe we can give you a ride home. you live far?” asked matt again.

“not really. i would really appreciate that if i’m not asking too much.” i just wanted to go home at this point.

matt looked at his brothers. both of them nodded and started walking towards where the cars were parked. i stayed behind with matt.

“so matt is your name.” i said.

“yep.”

“is this fate then?” i asked, looking at him with a smile.

“i guess so.” he chuckled, unlocking the car.

i don’t even know why, but even that simple action, the way he did it was attractive.

i opened the car’s door and got in, closing it behind me. matt was the one driving. wait. am i getting into a car with someone who just drank alcohol?

“are you sober matt?”

“yes. i don’t drink alcohol. nice you even thought about that.” he said.

“sorry, yeah, just making sure.”

the boy with the longest hair sat in front of me, next to me the third brother. triplets. that’s cool. the guy in front was talking to matt, while next to me, the boy was on his phone, not paying attention. i wasn’t either. i was really tired.

i was looking outside the window. watching the lights pass by, as well as the people, and all the shops. i tried thinking about something that won’t put me into sleep, i mean they didn’t even knew where i lived.

but i guess i failed because i woke up in a room i didn’t even recognize. at all.

. . .

thank you guys so much for reading the first part of my

matt story! i hope you like it! it would mean the world to

me if even just one person liked it! i hope i can continue

with this soon, until then don’t forget to be happy and be

kind! love you all <3

© every character besides the sturniolo triplets are mine, as well as the story. anything remotely similar to this is purely coincidental. thank you.

[ebi-skycotl]

Undo Animatic | Feyra

Song is Undo by Sanna Nielson

This was a week long project, simply because I did full rendering lol.

This frame is by far my favorite though:

If you'd like to know context ( aka the lore ) it's under the cut since it may involve spoilers for Shattered Peace ( which is probably gonna be released before the year is over 👀 ).

So, for the lore, Feyra lost all of his first family in the Fall of Eden. While he may have Nova and Euri now, he's never forgotten his first family.

First, let me introduce the characters in that frame, from left to right:

Lora ( Feyra's twin sister )

Thyme ( Lora's lover and Feyra's sister in law )

Ajal ( Feyra's best friend and basically brother )

Feyra used to have long hair too ( which is why I drew him that way in the "memory" frame ). Also he's hot with long hair.

The scars by Feyra's core are from darkness, because he was corrupted by it when Eden fell. He's been suppressing painful flare-ups and trying to hide the growing cracks ever since, because he doesn't want his new family to know that he's dying. ( My boy does not know how to ask for help at all. )

In the final three frames, I drew something I've always imagined Lora doing; watching over her brother even though she's dead and he can't hear or see her. I think she might not be able to move on, because Feyra is suffering and still hasn't grieved her death and the death of everyone else he knew back in Eden.

Side note, the earrings Feyra wears belonged to Lora. He's worn them since he found her body, because it's all he has left of her now.

Anyway, that concludes the context, thank you for reading and I apologize for any tears that are shed because of me :D

[alaydabug2]

Tag list: @sparklenarniawizard @imobsessed123 @nowjumpinthewater @ilikebookssomuch

Broken heart/Broken mind

Chapter Seventy-four

(Human AU)

Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay.

As the years pass, they wind up being in the same classroom together due to their physical conditions. This makes their bond deepen.

But are they able to handle when life gets tough, throwing problems and complications their way?

(Tweltfth grade)

"Just one more year, and we can get out of this prison," Marella mumbled, dropping her bag beside her desk.

"Or you could just skip class like I do," Keefe said, joining the science lab table.

Sophie sighed. "How do you have all honors classes.

He shrugged. "To be fair, I don't know either." He let out a laugh. "I barely even pay attention to the teacher. I just wing it on the tests."

Marella glared. "Ok, that's not even fair. I have to study my butt off to be in this class."

Dex took the last seat at the table. "You look rough," he commented.

"Yeah, well," Marella spat, "I've been surviving of energy drinks all summer. School had to come make me actually have a circadian rhythm. Not happy about it."

He held his hands in surrender. "Ok, ok. Jeez, I can tell."

She shot him the finger. Before he could retort, the teacher came in to introduce herself. Sophie pulled out her notebook to write down the information that she needed.

At the end of the day, Sophie went to the administrator's office. She paid her class dues and claimed her parking spot.

She located it in the parking lot. As a senior, she was able to paint her parking spot this year. She figured she'd paint her's as a black swan.

She jumped a little when unexpected arms wrapped around her from behind. She eased when she realized it was just Keefe. He nuzzled the top of her hair, making her giggle.

She turned around to greet him. He tightened his hold on her waist and leaned down to kiss her. Sophie tilted up on her tip toes and circled her arms around his neck. He lifted her up a couple of inches of the ground. That made her squeal a little bit.

When she was let down, she told him, "You should come to Lowe's with me. I'm going to get the stuff to paint my parking lot."

He grinned. "I'd love to. What are you going to paint."

"A black swan. You?"

"I'm thinking of doing the house from Up."

"Ooh, that sounds cool!"

With that, they went to get the paint from the store. Them and their friends decided to wait until Saturday to do it together.

Saturday came, and they all gathered together at the school. Sophie was currently struggling to get the basic silhouette of the swan. Maybe if she sweet talked Keefe.

"Hey, do you think you could help me, Bub," she asked in a sing-song voice.

He snorted. "Sure."

He took the paint brush from her, carefully making an outline of the swan. She kissed his cheek when he gave the brush back.

Sophie glanced at what he was doing she gasped when she saw his drawing. It was extremely detailed. Still, Keefe was looking funny at it.

"That's really good," she told him.

"It's missing something, though," he mumbled.

"The balloons?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, but I want to do something different for them," he pondered. His face lit up. He passed Sophie a paint brush. "Here, pick a color and paint your hand."

Sophie picked the red up and did what she was asked. When she was finished, Keefe pressed her hand onto the pavement. He grinned when she lifted it up, revealing a handprint.

"Yesss! Here, sign your name on it." He turned around. "Hey guys, come over here. I want you to do something."

When everyone finished their hand prints, he drew the strings to attach them to the hand. They smiled at their work.

[cider-est]

The full lineup is almost done!! (just needs some touch ups and a Chunsik design👍) FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APRECIATED!!

Design process under here (whole lot of yapping)

General thoughts: Ive given them in my previous design sheet (you can find it in my blog)(tldr: designs match characters but still childish, 8-12 years old). Only thing different here, is that these eggs were eggs who I had less of a clear idea of what I wanted to do with them (though I still really liked where I ended up!!)

Empanada: Didnt want to go for the full sweet lolita route, mostly because I thought it'd take away the "little kidness" of it all, but something that still resembles the aesthetic. She's wearing "carneirinhos" (idk the name in english) which is very cute little girl to me, and shes also a demon! Her tail resembles a frying pan!! Though I might change her fringe (it was supposed to be baby hairs but now that I think about it, her type of hair probably wouldnt have them) and put some argyle pattern in her sweater vest. I just forgor💀 to do that...I also wish I had made her shorter, but unfortunetely I drew this before the eggs did the height check (YES ITS BEEN THAT LONG).

Sunny: My beautiful baby girl. She means the world to me. I love this minecraft egg with all my heart. Shes wearing Light up sketchers and some fairy wings like Pomme, and shes actually wearing a swimsuit, she just put a tutu over it. The diamonds they're always holding are rings, they have a "terere" in their hair (idk name in english😭😭) and the beads were inspired by an artist on twt (@\BLUETOMATOSODA). Also if you are wondering why her hair looks like tentacles, its because I had originally made it puffy, but changed my mind after doing the lineart, so i had to get creative with me covering it up. Just pretend she has a fan, shes a star after all!

Pepito: Basically, he is very smoll. Chiquito even. He has strawberry hair and MASSIVE glasses that take up his entire face. Hes wearing a swimsuit aswell (dont ask how it works idk either), and has floaties since he cant swim. Hes got crocs, since flip flops hurt his toes, with a spider man charm on them! Also hes got a sunhat, mostly cause I wanted some other accessorie but didnt want to go with gas mask since it'd kinda kill the whole swimming vibe (since his model is wearing a swimsuit). sorry if its not too accurate to his character. Side note: Him, Em and Sunny all have freckles! Him and Sunny all over their bodies while Em just has on her cheeks.

Leo: Cute sporty vibe, love her shorty spiky hair. Wanted to try to make her face spiky aswell, for the whole shark dad thing. Shes got a necklace with a shark tooth (I guess she got it from Foolish??). He changes tshirts randomly, and opens and closes his attack on titan hoodie depending on the tshirt's expression (basically my version of Leo changing her player heads constantly). His trainers have dragon wings and also: whealies!!

Dapper: Im gonna be honest: did not expect to like his design THIS much. The colouring really elevated, with the long blue hair (the same colour as the ghosties!). Wanted to make them, y'know, dapper, so I had to sacrifice some of the "little kid vibes" unfortunetely, but I think it fits her still. The hat has part of the helmet that they used to wear a lot, demon horn to match Pomme, and a suit that is VERY inspired by Death the Kid from Soul Eater (very fitting for a reaper in training imo). Might be my favourite design!

Ramon: Jesus fuck you'd think designing your fav egg would be easy BUT NO. I struggled long and hard. Again, he doesnt have that much "little kid" vibe whatever man😭😭 Im just happy that I even managed to make SOMETHING. Hes got Create googles, his meathead is a massive hat that completely hides his hair. Very simple, very Ramon, though I will probably end up making a version with an ugly sweater just like he likes instead😔. I still like it but. man...

ANYWAYS IF YOU READ ALL THAT MWAH, YOURE A REAL ONE, THANKS FOR ENTERTAINING MY THOUGHTS🫶🫶🫶

[jesterable]

am i danganronpa posting in the year of 2023? yes. i am. anyways sdr2 will forever be one of my favorite casts of characters and i love them all dearly. so i basically just drew all of them as stylized as i could. 

these were 90% done from memory except for mahiru bc i forgot what she looked like entirely besides her color scheme.

thought process for all of them under the cut in order of when i drew them

mikan: my brain went to that one sprite of her as it does. and she’s purple and honestly doesn’t have enough specific craziness to have more than one color so she’s very one-color 

kazuichi: very sharp. very square. very pink as well, but just pink didn't feel right. he has to have that gross green 

akane: i couldn’t see her colors being changed v much but not so much that its. too normal.

 teruteru: very proud of his face. he's very oval.  and still not crazy enough for many colors 

hiyoko: it was a very specific vision to have her with the UGLIEST yellow hair. also i don’t like the banana shape so i tried several other pigtail shapes to be normal about 

gundham: took me about 3 tries to get his drawing right. i still have a crush on him. he’s mostly magenta but i felt like that was too little so i gave him red eyes

ibuki: i am proud of her. needed her to look fucking radioactive 

sonia: silly girl! she's relatively normal looking but she is not a normal lady. very :3 coded 

chiaki: im sOOO proud of my color choices for her. idk why but the dull pink and blue combo is my fave. also i completely went off base with her design on purpose bc i don’t like her actual design. my girl is a GAMER. let her look like one. 

mahiru: i don’t know much about her i actually had to google just her so i knew what her hair looked like. ok bowl cut you eat that up! 

nagito: he’s fucking insane. don’t like how his hair looks ingame so i made it better. i also totally forgot his outfit if you couldn’t tell. love giving crazy people neon eyes 

fuyuhiko: made him accidentally smaller than the rest but i think it fits. baby face... little fucker 

peko: tried to make her colorful but at the same time incredibly gray. she gives gray to me. she radiates gray

monokuma: i don’t like the strictly black and white design so i might it alot more red, and just made all the extra bits bright fucking red 

imposter: i didn’t know what to do with him but my brain told me to make him orange so i did. 

nekomaru: originally he was just gonna be blue, but my brain was like no... give him a more prominent smile. so i did ! 

monomi: had to make her soo pink and silly coded... gave her a closed eye, a tongue out, and made her folded ear just tilted down a bit more. 

hajime: i tried to make him the most normal looking out of all of them. he just had to be.

[rosypenguins]

🖤DROEY???🩷

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Synopsis: Zoey asks Drew to go see a movie with her and the gay little magenta-man is unable to decipher if it’s supposed to be a date or not.

A/N: Someone said they liked my Drake fics and that single compliment gave me the motivation to finish this hooray!! Anyways this fic takes place in the Jomies’ Sophomore year, and Drew is still contemplating (denying) his feelings for Jake. Also. He’s- he’s an idiot he is the big dumb I am silently screaming as I write this DREW YOU’RE A DUMBASS but anyways Droey backstory hooray healthy Droey!! (Or is it??)

(Contains swearing and a painfully stupid Drew.)

*+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+ *+

Drew: Guys I think I got a date?

Liam: WHAT????

Henry: DHISVSJS HOWWW???

Liam: FYM YOU THINK???

Drew: Idk a girl asked if I wanted to go see a movie with her Friday

Drew: She said she had a spare ticket or smth

Liam: Yeah that’s a date

Drew: Shit

Henry: How’d you get a date before me?;-;

Liam: Which girl is this?

Drew: Zoey, the girl from our Biology class.

Liam: THAT ZOEY???

Henry: THE POPULAR ONE???

Drew: Yeah?

Henry: HOWW???

Drew: Wym how?

Henry: No offense dude but its literally ZOEY

Henry: And it’s you

Drew: Are you saying she’s out of my league?

Liam: Yeah basically

Jake: DREW YOU GOT A DATE???

Liam: About time you responded Jake

Henry: Lol looks like your boys cheating on you Jakeyyyy

Drew: STFU

Jake: Sobbing rn how could you do this to me Drew?? Thought we were homies!!

Drew: I hope you all fucking explode

Liam: TF DID I DO???

Jake: LMAO

Jake: Fr tho congrats on getting a date Drew I hope it goes well

Jake: And if you need any advice just lmk I’m quite the charmer after all lol

Liam: You’ve certainly charmed someone

Drew: LIAM KYS RN

Jake: Wym?

***

With a heavy sigh, Drew set his phone to the side, falling onto his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

So… this was a date.

With Zoey. With pretty, popular Zoey…

…Did he even like Zoey like that? He’d never considered her as anything more than a friend before, but… he did enjoy her company during class, and he did like working on assignments with her. He didn’t mind it when she wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and… she was obviously very pretty.

Maybe he did have a crush. And had just never realized it before….

But Drew could recall a time Jake had been describing his crush. He referred to it as a warm, fluttery feeling. One that made him forget almost all common sense. And Drew couldn’t say that applied to him…

But… he must’ve had a crush on her. Why else would he find her attractive?

Drew buried his face in his hands, muffling a soft groan. It suddenly occurred to him he’d never even been on a date before. Sure, he had past relationships, but those were in Middle School. Those didn’t count.

God, Zoey had probably been on lots of dates before, too. She must’ve had high expectations for him.

Drew sighed, running a hand through his hair before rolling onto his side, thinking back to all those dumb romance movies Jake convinced him to watch. He was hoping they’d finally come in handy and answer at least one of his questions, but he was quick to realize he hadn’t retained any of the plot.

What he could recall, however, was Jake, misty-eyed with a soft blush dusting his face, staring at the TV with the dumbest grin on his face as he watched the main characters kiss for the first time.

…Why was that the only thing he could remember?

***

Friday came a lot sooner than expected, and Drew still wasn’t sure if it was a date or not. He’d gone back and forth about it for days, and eventually, he managed to convince himself that this was just a hangout. Not a date. After all, he could see some truth behind the texts his friends had sent. It was Zoey. And it was him. Why would Zoey want to go on a date with him?

He stood outside of the theater, scrolling aimlessly through his phone and glancing up on occasion to see if Zoey had arrived yet. His mind wouldn’t stop racing.

What if it was all some prank? What if it was a dare her friends set her up to? What if she-

“Drew!”

Drew turned to see Zoey running over to him, and was a little surprised to see she’d changed out of what she’d been wearing to school that day. Instead of her usual green top and jeans, she wore a pale pink dress, with a small golden necklace and simple white flats. It made Drew feel a little awkward, considering he hadn’t bothered to change out of the jacket and jeans he’d been wearing earlier that day.

“I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.” Zoey said, and Drew shrugged.

“Not really.” He answered, despite the fact he waiting about 30 minutes for her to show up. Zoey gave a slight nod in response, and a small smile appeared on her face.

“You ready?” She asked, and Drew nodded, before following her into the theater.

***

The movie Zoey had gotten tickets for was a mystery-thriller; a genre both him and Zoey had talked about in the past. And in all honesty, Drew would’ve found it interesting had it not been for the romantic subplot that did almost nothing to drive the main plot along.

But… he imagined Jake would probably like it a lot. He was a sucker for forbidden romance after all.

About halfway through the movie or so, Drew felt something brush against his hand, and glanced over to see Zoey had placed her hand right beside his.

…He’d seen enough of Jake’s romance movies to know where this was going.

Slowly, Zoey pressed her hand closer to his, resting her pinky over his. Drew blinked, unable to move his gaze. He really didn’t have a clue how to feel about this.

So once again, he thought back to those romance movies, and slowly moved his hand closer to hers.

And eventually, Zoey interlocked their fingers together.

…Zoey’s hand was noticeably smaller than his. And it was a little cold, but it was soft, and… it felt nice to hold.

He still couldn’t say he felt that fluttery feeling, though. Maybe that only affected some people…

Eventually, the movie finished, and with his hand still in her’s, Zoey led the two out of the theater. She rambled on a bit about her thoughts regarding the movie, but… Drew couldn’t focus on her voice, his attention still fixated on the fact he was holding her hand.

He was holding a popular girl’s hand…

Under the shade of the night sky, Drew finally decided to say something. He lifted his gaze to meet her’s, and-

“Was this a date?” He blurted out.

Zoey stopped almost instantly, and blinked as she processed his question.

And not a moment later, she burst out laughing.

“Seriously?! You didn’t realize?!” Drew could feel his face heat up.

“You never specified!” He countered. “I didn’t want to assume anything!”

“Come on, Drew! You’re a guy, I’m a girl, we went to the movies together, alone. That’s a date!”

“You could’ve just said that!” He grumbled, and Zoey turned away from him, covering her smile with the back of her hand.

“You’re so cute.” She whispered, and Drew could only imagine how red his face must’ve been.

“What?!” He could hear Zoey giggle again.

“Nothing, nothing. I… had a really nice time tonight.” She admitted, twirling around to stand in front of him.

And the way she looked beneath the moonlight. The way the light seemed to dance along her skin. The way she looked at him so longingly…

He’d never felt so… wanted before.

“So… would you want to do this again sometime?”

Time seemed to slow for a moment, and there was only one answer Drew could think to give such a perfect girl.

But for a fleeting moment, another blonde crossed his mind.

…

“I’d like that.”

[theratlivinginyourcouchcushions]

Equivalence AU Mabel ideas!

I wanted to experiment with God!zar(?) Mabel, bc I hadn’t seen any designs for it yet. I was also going to try drawing Mabel in her super-demon-y form, (which is apparently blinding white with abyss for eyes and tiny burning pupils) but was two invested in the outfit to really lean into it.

Now for some of my headcannons!

While drawing Mabel, I started thinking about her bird wings, and what kind of traits she might have similar to animals (like dipper and cats) and then it hit me. BIRDS.

An entire class of animals characterized by their ability to DEFY GRAVITY FOR HOURS TO DAYS AT A TIME. (And the ones that don’t are pretty cool too) and I got to thinking about how cool birds are, to achieve this through nothing but MILLIONS of years of evolution. (My thoughts on this are not very organized, but I hope you get the gist.) so anyway, what cool things do birds do, and wouldn’t it be cool if Mabel did them too?

Mating dance. Since it’s pretty much canon that Mizar is still alloromantic and allosexual, wouldn’t it be goofy if she would do a funky little dance when trying to ask people out? (She definitely did this for Henry as soon as she was corporeal for him)

Roosting. Basically making nests in high places out of things she likes, probably perches in it to preen her feathers. (I originally had a similar hc for Alcor, but whatever, they’re demons. But maybe he roosts like a bat instead:) )

Preening. She has a set of ridges under her lip (in front of her gums) for preening her feathers. Her loved ones have little tools to mimic them, and help her get hard-to-reach places. (She often falls asleep during this, similar to Dipper with his hair.)

Migration. I’m still not super organized with this one, but she might try to take off during the winter for long periods of time before coming back, or maybe just circling around to get out energy. Either that or she just tells people that she’s flying south for the winter when she doesn’t want to hang out with them. (This was also a hc meant for Dipper, but now I’m wondering if he tries to hibernate during winter.)

So those were my Equivalence AU headcannons, now for the design choices I made!

I talked a little bit about them at the start, but I still want to talk about it so, here we go!

The fashion was all based on @that-ghosts-art / @that-ghost-pal ‘s Mabel/Mizar designs, and I was very happy for the chance to test out different fashion styles, as well as the braid and shifting tattoos. (For the tattoos I just drew whatever I felt like at the time, and I added a scorpion barb at the end of the braid just for fun.) I added gold-tipped feathers to the wings, and some extra pink bits in her eyes (except for the angry one) I also gave her a crown instead of a top hat.

For God!zar(?) I tried to give her wings a more feather-y feeling than God!cor’s, and made the chest star more like her symbol on the cipher wheel. I muted the colors, and messed with her crown bc God!cor’s hat is a halo, and I didn’t want to copy that directly. I struggled with the hair color for a while before deciding to just bite the bullet, so please excuse any eye scorching color choices (It was originally planned for galaxy hair, but that was given to the wings, and I’m not great with overlapping colors)

Thanks for reading this far into my ramblings, and take a few moments to marvel at the existence of birds (and bats!)

Edit: I’m just now realizing that I forgot to draw the fire.

[pxnsneverland]

Beauty and the Boss I austin!elvis x oc (part 1)

plot summary: Laura Jean Walker is the daughter to Louisiana's most powerful mafia boss, but to her, he's just her jail warden. When she sneaks out to the Louisiana Hayride with her friend she sees Elvis Presley perform and instantly knows something is special about this boy. Especially when he saves her from being assaulted by a townie. She thinks she's on cloud 9 until she gets kidnapped in the middle of the night by the Memphis Mafia led by Elvis himself. Will Laura Jean try to free herself or will something hold her back from finding her way home?

pairings: austin!elvis x oc

word count: 3477

warnings/notes: violence, blood, fighting

 Chapter 1

 “Where are you goin’?!” my daddy yelled after me as I moved with my bag and my sweater towards the front door. I didn't have time to hear my father's outraged words about my disobedience because I was already running late to meet up with my friend.  He would have rather that I had always remained indoors and isolated from the outside world. He would claim that it is for my security. I believe he is attempting to use me to protect what he long since lost.

              Even though he was just behind me, I yelled out, “With my friends! The Louisiana Hayride is still in town and I wanna go.”

              “You didn’t permission to no where, little girl! You know how I feel about you going out alone!”

              “I am 17 years old, Daddy! You can’t keep sending one of your men to babysit me anymore!”

              “Laura Jean Walker, you stop right there or I swear to God---”

              “What?” I turned to face him while keeping one hand on the front doorknob. “You’ll do what, Daddy?! Lock me up? Punish me like you do everyone who disobeys you? You might have been able to convince me I owed you somethin’ when I was a little girl, but I don’t. Because I don’t work for you.” I walked out, slamming the door behind me after opening it. I had the distinct impression that he would pursue me and push me back inside. But in all honesty, I was sure he wouldn't. Later, I'd have a rude awakening and might even get grounded, but I wouldn't pay attention to that anyway.

              This wasn't always the case. Me, Mama, and Daddy used to be a happy family. The Louisiana Mafia, the most powerful mafia organization in the entire state of Louisiana and possibly the entire country, was led by Daddy. He was involved in a significant amount of Louisiana's building and land development. Daddy could handle any off-the-record task that any of these companies' top executives required in a stealthy and competent manner. His rivals dreaded him, and those who shared a bed with him knew better than to disobey him. I basically grew up as a princess as a result of this. I had everything I needed. I paid for nothing. I had the best teachers to teach me. I wore the priciest outfits. My father gave me the royal treatment. I had no idea what was always going on in Daddy's office while the doors were closed. Not up until that day.

              My parents had been traveling across the countryside as they normally did on Sunday mornings when I was 12 years old. Due to the fact that Mama enjoyed having the wind rip through her golden hair, Daddy recently purchased a topless vehicle. She may have simply perceived the wind as an old friend because she had always been as happy and brilliant as the sun. As they made their stop at the gas station, they were on their way back home. The only car that entered the parking lot was theirs. Others have told me that it happened so swiftly that only The Flash could have responded to it. A different car drew up and fired some shots at the car. They arrived, pulled up, and left as swiftly as they turned up. Mom wasn't as fortunate while merely seated in the passenger seat, but Daddy managed to escape with a bullet in his shoulder. Daddy was all business after that. He stopped talking to me and stopped taking me places. One of his men was always keeping an eye on me if I had to walk outside. Now, I learned everything inside. I was confined to my home for years, missing my mother, and I blamed my father for taking her away. That is, up until I started breaking his rules and daring him to take action. Yet we just were fighting.

              The hayride wasn't far from the farm my daddy owned, so I walked there, guiding myself by the dazzling lights of the carnival illuminating the sky. By the time I arrived, it had already become crowded. Lights, laughter, and people were all things I craved after being locked in my tower.  I took a few steps around the carnival side of the front entrance till I saw my friend Anne waiting for me by one of the cotton candy machines. I dashed over to her and gave her a bear embrace.

              “I thought you weren’t ever comin’,” she said in her sweet high pitched country twang.

              “My daddy was fussin’ again. I swear he thinks I’m a China doll he can just keep on the shelf to stare at.”

              “So, you snuck out…again?”

              “I did not sneak out. I just walked out the front door. I’m a grown woman now, Anne. I don’t have to ask for Daddy’s permission to go everywhere.”

              “Now, Laura Jean, you know you’re different. Your daddy is---”

              “Not the boss of me.” Anne was the daughter of one of Daddy's employees. We'd known each other for most of our lives, and she was well aware of how deadly my father was. Regardless, we became best friends. “Now, quite your grippin’ at me. Let’s go have some fun.”

              Anne took a long breath and decided it wasn't worth debating with me, for which I was grateful. I didn't want to think about Daddy as I was attempting to get away from him. We wandered around the carnival for a time, collecting popcorn and hot dogs and failing badly at a few games. Finally, we came upon this tent with people sitting on seats and bleachers inside. HANK SNOW! said the sign outside. Starring Elvis Presley, the radio's newest hit. I came to a halt, bringing Anne with me. “Let’s go in here.”

              We shuffled through the crowd, eventually squeezing into the front row on a bench near the microphone. “This looks excitin’,” I said with a smiled.

She looked about uncomfortably at the other teenage girls who had gathered around us. “I don’t know if we should be here, Laura Jean.” She was muttering as though someone was recording her presence in the seats. “I know about Elvis Presley. I heard his song on the radio with my daddy. He said his singin’ is sinful race music. Usin’ negro rhythms and such.”

“Really?” I know she wanted to discourage me from watching the show, but all her words did was pique my interest.

The stage lights came on a few moments later, and the announcer welcomed us to the Louisiana Hayride. He performed his own routine before welcoming Hank Snow and his band to the stage. They sang original country music, which I must say was rather good. I couldn't help but clap. Singing and piano were the only classes I didn't regret having as a child. For a few hours each day, music had been my happy place. I felt connected to it, as if if I didn't have a voice to talk with, I could at least sing and be heard that way. Mama used to compare me to a bird in a gold cage.

Hank Snow had finished, and the announcer had taken his place on stage. “He’s a young singer from Memphis, Tennessee. Got a song out on the Sun Label. It’s all over the radio. Give him a warm Hayride welcome to a Mr. Elvis Presley!”

Applause erupted once more, and the oddest and craziest looking boy went onto the stage. He held a guitar in his hand. His body was decked up in a pink outfit that I'd only seen individuals in negro clubs wear. He had a lovely face and blue eyes the color of a Louisiana summer day, which were outlined with eyeliner. His dark hair was long and slicked back, with the exception of a whisp of curl that hung on his brow. He appeared to be about to choke on his own breath, as if there were too many people around him and the stage lighting was too bright.

“Elvis how are you this evening?” the announcer asked.

“Just fine. How are you sir?” Through the microphone, his voice was rough and smooth, like brushing your hand across crushed velvet. He spoke with a heavy southern drawl.

“You all geared up with your band there to let us hear your songs?”

“I’m all geared up. But, uh, I’d like to say how happy we are to be down here. It’s a real honor for us to be…Get a chance to appear on the Louisiana Hayride. We’re gonna do a song for you we got out on Sun Records. Uh…” He turned to the announcer. “You got anythin’ else to say, sir?”

“No. I’m ready.”

Elvis exhaled nervously through his mouth. I could see his hand shaking as it lingered over the strings of his guitar from where I was standing. His breath was trembling as he peered out at the packed audience.

“It goes…It goes somethin’ like this,” he finally choked out. He began to sing timidly, the microphone feedback ringing around the room. One of his legs began to quiver, as if he was trying to shake off his anxieties during the performance rather than before.

“Get a haircut fairy!” came a voice from behind me. The audience laughed. I shifted my gaze to a clean-cut blonde lad with excessive acne and crooked teeth.

“Shut it! And let him sing.” While whispering, I poured as much hate into my remarks as I could. The boy merely smiled coyly at me, eyeing me up and down like a dinner plate. I swung around, disgusted, to stare at Elvis, who had ceased his song, sweat streaming down his face. And then, with a single dragged-out note, he transformed into a whole other person. It was as if he had gotten all the confidence in the world just by acting as if it were the only thing he was intended to do. He moved his legs and hips in mesmerizing motions more scandalous than I had ever been permitted to witness. Screams began to emerge from the seats, but not panic screams. These were cries of delight emanating from girls my age, who were approaching the stage like zombies ravenous for a meal. They were all around us now, and Anne and I had no choice but to stand or be knocked over and trampled by shouting girls. We were pushed all the way to the front of the most raucous crowd I'd ever heard. My chest was forced into the stage, trapping me between the girls and the boy they were attempting to reach. When I looked to my left, Anne was gone, swept away into the swarm without me. I looked up to see Elvis dancing and swaying to the beat of the song. The girls went even wilder. Those that could reach clutched at his garments, removing his jacket rather than clawing him to bits. Elvis dropped to his knees and sang into the microphone, his guitar having been left somewhere during the music break. In the midst of a crowd, his gaze fell on mine and lingered. With a half-smile on his face, he was singing directly to me. I wasn't yelling or grasping for a piece of him; I was just standing there listening to the music and watching the performance. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I was diving further into the tide pools, enthralled in those eyes. Because he didn't look away, I scarcely noticed when he stopped singing. His chest was heaving up and down swiftly, and sweat was streaming down his face and neck. He had the appearance of a superhero fresh from battle. The curtain closed behind him, but he remained motionless. I couldn't stop myself from smiling at him. Hands from behind the curtain grabbed his shoulders and yanked him away. Even so, he didn't stop staring at me until the ruffled curtains were completely closed and we were both out of each other's sight.

I snapped out of the hypnosis I had been in as he left. He was captivating, everything and nothing at the same time. The crowd was starting to thin, so I decided to go find Anne, whom I hadn't seen since we were pushed up in the crowd. I walked out of the tent and waited for it to empty, but I didn't see her come out. This was perfect. What could have happened to her? I went away from the performance tent, peering in the gaps between the game and food tents in case she had been waiting for me there. I was looking in a particularly dim spot near the carousel and behind a massive sign when I heard a familiar voice ask, “So, did you enjoy hearing that fairy sing after all?”

I spun around. It was the boy who had been sitting behind me and heckling Elvis when he came on stage. He was taller than he was sitting, but not any more handsome. I stood firm, as if he hadn't just startled me. “Actually, I did. No thanks to you and your bad manners.”

He took a step closer to me. I tried to back up, but his legs were longer than mine, so he was able to bridge the gap between us. “What’s a pretty little doll like you doing wasting your time with sissy boys like that?”

“And I should be wastin’ my time with a boy like you who corners girls in the dark?”

“Come on now, doll. I know you got a little fire in you from the way you talked back to me.” He drew my skirt closer to him, and I pressed against his chest. “You like to have a little fun, don’t cha?”

His hot breath enveloped my cheeks, and no matter how hard I tried, he was stronger than me. When I struggled, he placed his arm around my waist, trapping me in place. He attempted to kiss me, but I was able to release one of my hands and slap him across the face. His head twitched, but it wasn't enough to get him to let go of me. “Get off me, you bastard!”

A scratch mark had formed on the side of his cheek, and he was no longer amused by my attempts to reject him. He appeared agitated. “You’re gonna pay for that, you bitch!”

He grabbed my hair and yanked it out of its ponytail. I whimpered as he seized a fistful in his palm and a new pair of footsteps joined us. I was able to release myself after the boy loosened his grip in attempt to see who was interrupting his assualt. I turned around to see who my mysterious savior had been. Elvis. He was dressed in the same pink slacks and lace top he had worn on stage, but he was no longer charming. He appeared to have fire in his eyes.

“Is that how you treat a lady?” he asked the boy.

The boy smirked completely, utterly unafraid. “Back off, Nancy boy. This ain’t got nothin’ to do with you.”

“It does because…you see, my mama taught me how to treat a lady. And that means when she says, ‘get away’ you get.”

The boy was now face to face with Elvis. “Last chance. Mind your own business or I’ll mind it for ya.”

Elvis chuckled. “You wanna try that with me, boy? Because you’ll regret it if you don’t walk away.”

The boy did not back down. Elvis punched him in the right face and then in the stomach. Elvis' knee landed directly in the boy's face before he could even recover. Elvis went down with the boy when he slumped over onto his back. Elvis reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife, which clicked open with a flash. He snatched the boy's hair and pushed the knife against his neck. He had such a hard hold on him that he couldn't move without slicing his own throat. “Now, apologize to the little lady,” he hissed.

The boy now appeared absolutely afraid, to the point that I believed he was going to pass out. “I-I’m sorry. A-And I’m sorry f-for callin’ you a fairy.”

Elvis pressed the knife into the boy's throat, causing a thin line of blood to form. “Please! It’s alright, I’m fine. Just let him go. He was bein’ stupid.”

He cast a glimpse over his shoulder at me, and I was frozen in that deep gaze for a split second before he returned to the boy he had still placed flat on his back. “If you ever cross me again, she won’t be here to stop me.” He pushed the boy's head into the dirt before standing up and placing his knife back into his pocket. The boy jumped to his feet and dashed through the crowd as quickly as he could.

It was now just me and Elvis. As he approached me, he dusted the dirt from his hands. I had picked up my dropped bag and was crushing it against my chest. The angry and protective man I had just witnessed was replaced by the shy boy I had just witnessed on stage. “You sure you’re alright, darlin’?”

“I’m fine. He was just some ill-mannered country boy.”

Elvis chuckled as he took a breath. He smiled at me again, a warm and deadly combination. “You’re not scared of me?”

I raised a brow. “Why should I be?”

“Any other girl wound seein’ me pull a knife out on somebody.” My back was pressed against the wood of the sign we were behind. He leaned against it and placed one hand by my head.

“I’ve been around people much more dangerous than you my whole life. It’s not the first time I’ve seen weapons drawn.”

This piqued his interest. I had the impression he wanted to say more on the matter, but thought it was better if he didn't. “You were in the front row of my performance,” he said instead.

I appreciated the shift in topics. “I was. You did really well. All those girls liked it.”

“Did you like it?” He appeared genuinely concerned about my response.

I gave him a small smile. “I did. You were amazing. Though it did get a little out of hand back there.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, I didn’t mean for that to happen. This was my first time performin’ and I didn’t really know what to do.”

“Really? You could have fooled me. You looked like you knew exactly what to do up there.”

“Now you’re just butterin’ me up.”

“I’m serious, Elvis. You were magic.” And I really meant it. I'd never been more sincere about anything in my life.

Elvis's grin broadened. He was so attractive, yet so quiet and gentle, with a tinge of mystery that I wanted to unravel. I'd never met a boy like him before. I wasn't sure if I'd ever do it again. He leaned in closer to me, and I thought for a split second that he was going to kiss me right there. Instead, he asked, “What’s your name?”

For a second, I had completely forgotten what my name was. “Its—”

“Laura Jean!” Anne sprinted over to me. Elvis retreated while keeping a safe distance as she gave me a firm hug. “Oh my stars, where have you been? I lost you in the crowd and I’ve been lookin’ all over for you ever since.”

“I was lookin’ for you. And I got…sidetracked.” I cast a glance across at Elvis. Anne turned her head, as if she hadn't realized he was there. I swallowed and cleared my throat. “Anne, this is Elvis. Elvis, this is my friend, Anne.”

Elvis tipped his head at her. “Mighty nice to meet ya.”

Anne locked her gaze on him for a few moments, her whole body tight and her eyes wide. She appeared to have come across a ghost rather than the performer we had just seen. She grabbed my arm. “We should go. It’s gettin’ late and my parents will be worried. Your daddy too.”

I scowled, knowing she was only trying to get out of this mess. Still, she was correct. Her parents would freak out if she didn't come home soon. I didn't care what my father said about my still being out. “Fine. We can go. Goodbye, Elvis.”

              Anne drew me away till another hand grabbed my free arm. Elvis frowned at me. “See you later, Laura Jean.” And with another of those mysterious smiles, he softly let go of my arm, and I faded into the crowd with Anne as he watched me leave.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2! Click HERE to view!

[pocket-gems]

How’s it goin?? Wanted to stop by and drop off my lady Stains over here. Note that I drew this, like, over a year ago, and the anatomy is really wonky cuz I was still working on that at the time lol. Either way, I’ve been thinking of getting back to the story she’s in, and I was wondering if you had any advice on the design.

Two notes, one being that in the story she’s in, Pink Diamond is replaced by Red Diamond, and it’s really only a change in name and appearance she’s basically the same I just wanted the court colors to line up a lil better lol. As for the outfit, I’m aware of the fact that it’s not standard quartz attire, and that was because in her current form she was initially stationed on an ice giant so I thought it would be cute if she was in winter clothes.

Story-wise, she was part of this angsty side plot where she was separated from her battalion in a battle and wrongfully imprisoned as a rebel. She sustained a significant mouth injury during the whole thing and the extended trauma turned it into a Volleyball type situation where the scar is a representation of the lasting effects and all that. The main group of characters eventually break her out and she gets to live a peaceful life on a free planet with a couple of other liberated gems by the end. Good for her!!

• By submitting a gem I assume you have read the rules and agreed for me to judge •

I think she's neat!

Before you tell me "I didn't say she was defective" or something like that, hear me out:

Skinny quartz, defective. Why abandoned separated? Defective. Why imprisoned as a rebel? Defective (let's be honest gems wanting justice the most would be defective gems). I probably took a bit too much creative liberty-

Did the obligatory uniform AND another outfit trying to fit the story. My train of thought was "smoky hair down she sad smoky hair up she free" and because I like the winter clothes.

Mostly simplified the clothes and scar, hair is smoky and colors are based of a gemstone. I thought the colors were a bit too dull/dark if she were to be on SU, I say as I completely ignored Smoky Quartz (fusion).

I uh hope you like it! If you ever continue your story I would love to see it 👀

[gamebunny-advance]

A Tale From My Youth

I was thinking recently that it's weird that I'm not a furry.

I like furries well enough, but I don't consider myself one, the same way I don't consider myself an otaku even though I like anime. I'm just not that entrenched in the culture, but I do appreciate it from the outside.

Why I think it's weird, is that in my earliest years of being a young artist on the internet, most of what I drew was anthro animals. Specifically hamsters with emo haircuts. If I could somehow retrieve my ancient art from Scratch, then I'd show y'all, but since I can't, here's my rough approximation of what they were like:

I don't remember her name, but I'm almost certain that this was what my first "official" OC looked like. Most of my OCs were just "this" but with different clothes and hairstyles, usually inspired by vocaloid songs or whatever media was popular around the early to mid 2000s. They all lived on a different planet filled with hamster (and cat) people.

Anyway, I was thinking recently about why I didn't become a furry despite this, and I think the answer is a little sadder than I expected.

As a kid, I didn't consume a lot of media with POC in them. As I mentioned before, I like anime, and that really started in my youth. I was very inspired by the unique artstyle and my dad bought me (well really himself) a few how-to-draw manga books. But I never really saw POC in them or the games I played.

You couldn't be tan in Animal Crossing without standing out in the sun during summer. Mario and friends were all white or a creature of some kind. Pajama Sam was blue. Even when I did see tan-skinned characters in anime, they were usually mean or evil characters. I was under the impression that dark skinned characters were basically not allowed to exist in the things I liked unless they were mean people. And I didn't want to make mean people. None of this was helped by my parents.

My dad who was a self-hating black man. Even though he was also a hobby-artist, he rarely drew black characters himself, and since I was emulating him at the time, I also didn't.

My mom is Filipina, so she passed her own culture onto me and tried to ignore my blackness where she could. She didn't know how to style black hair, or know that much about black culture, so it's not like she would notice or care that I wasn't embracing that side of myself.

I think I made a lot of anthro characters because 1) I wasn't quite comfortable with drawing people yet, and 2) they didn't have to be white. They were still all white or otherwise Japanese coded because anime, but I don't think I was really considering the implications of that. I was already consuming a lot of media with anthro characters, (Loony Tunes, Animal Crossing, Hamtaro, etc.) so it seemed natural to me to also make animal characters, but somehow unnatural to make a black character.

The only character I remember being explicitly black coded was a single cat that I made.

This is Bel-Bel, named after her two bells. She's a sweet, shy, and timid character that felt very self-conscious about being a cat in a hamster world. I don't remember the full story, but as I recall: when she was a baby, she was put in a basket in the ocean that floated to the hamster continent. She was taken in by another OC called Chibi, on account of her being very small even though she was one of the oldest residents, who helped take care of her until she grew up. I don't recall if all cats were meant to be evil in their world, but I do remember that most of the other hamsters were either scared of her or mean to her because she was a cat, so she cried a lot. Chibi would hit anyone that was mean to Bel-Bel with her giant hammer.

The implications of that story are kind of telling in hindsight, but I don't think I thought that much of it at the time. I was probably just emulating some other story I had heard, but I wasn't really thinking about why a story like that would resonate with me.

I created several other anthro character like that until I finally moved from Scratch to deviantART and decided that I would need an avatar to represent me. From what I saw at the time, everyone that I liked had an anime styled avatar/self-insert, and I wanted to be the same.

This is what I came up with:

This is Nekoko. She's a shy artist with a magical cat hat. This was, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be me. I think that even this early on the internet, I already knew that racism was a big problem, so I was scared of presenting myself as a black girl on the internet.

Eventually, I would become comfortable with making it known that I was a POC, so I started to depict myself as such.

(This one is legit old art)

But I would still bounce back and forth between using a human avatar and an anthro bunny. Sometimes even making combinations of the two as I tried to figure out how I wanted to present myself on the internet. Because even though I was dabbling in being more "honest" about myself, I don't think I was fully ready to fully commit to it.

I think after I finally reached adulthood and started to really understand myself that I felt comfortable with just being as I am. I was tired of apologizing for the things I had no control over, and just wanted to be "me". By this point, I stopped seeing animal characters as a way to mask my identity, and just thought of it as just another design choice. For me, furryism has never really been about the "fandom." For me, it was tied to identity, and it's one that was able to shed once I became more comfortable with myself.

I still think it's rad as hell to see cool animal people doing whatever weird animal people things they like to do, but that's just not something I need for myself, and so I don't consider myself a furry.

I wonder, in this age of more diverse media, if there are still kids that are currently going through what I went through. I really hope not. I hope that all kids can see themselves in the things they like and can believe that they can be a part of it if they want to be.